THE BIG STORY: Nobody likes filing their taxes. But for globe-trotting music stars on cross-border tours, it’s an even bigger problem — and one that can lead to massive legal headaches.

Case in point: In a ruling last week, a Spanish court acquitted Colombian superstar Shakira of tax fraud and ordered the return of 60 million euros ($69 million) that had been levied for the 2011 income tax year. Spain claimed she was a legal resident, but she proved that she had spent just 163 days in the country between stops on her Sale el Sol world tour.

Shakira’s ordeal highlights the immense complexity of taxes for international stars, as Billboard’s Rachel Scharf reported last week. They need to closely track what days they spend where to figure out where to claim residency, as well as the taxes in each country they visit on tour, as a portion of concert revenue must be paid to local authorities.

“I advise my clients to maintain a calendar where they document every single day where they are, just for this reason,” says one music attorney who handles tax structuring for many touring musicians.

For all the ins-and-outs — including the complicated IRS process for taking a cut from international stars — go read Rachel’s full story here.

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Other top stories this week…

-A month after a blockbuster jury verdict that Live Nation is an illegal monopoly, the coalition of state attorneys general that won it asked a federal judge to order the company to sell Ticketmaster.

-Later that same day, Live Nation asked the judge to overturn that verdict, arguing that it was “legally indefensible” based on the evidence presented to jurors at the trial last month.

-The owner of the Peanuts theme song and other music from the Charlie Brown franchise launched a wave of copyright lawsuits over Vince Guaraldi‘s iconic jazz tracks.

–Wiz Khalifa is wanted by the police in Romania, who claimed he had a warrant out for his arrest to complete a nine-month prison sentence on illegal drug possession charges.

-Gabriela Gonzalez, a social media influencer who shares a daughter with ex-Why Don’t We singer Jack Avery, was arrested and charged with hiring a hitman to kill him amid a child custody dispute.

–Saweetie and Jason Derulo were both hit with lawsuits alleging they breached contracts to perform at Japan’s Afro Jam Festival last summer. 

-In yet more Live Nation news, the company reached a wrongful death settlement with families of the two women killed by a gunman at the 2023 Beyond Wonderland dance music festival in Washington.

–Snoop Dogg argued in court filings that his company was not in charge of the Los Angeles hip-hop festival where Drakeo the Ruler was fatally stabbed in 2021.

-A proposed federal law would let indie artists team up to collectively negotiate licenses with AI companies and streaming platforms to help them “demand fair compensation.”

Fat Joe is a courtside staple at Madison Square Garden, but was not afforded that same celebrity treatment away from home.

After flying to Cleveland for game four against the Cavaliers, the Bronx native claimed that Cavs team officials revoked the courtside seats he purchased for Monday night’s (May 25) Eastern Conference Finals game, which saw the Knicks complete the sweep and advance to the team’s first NBA Finals since 1999.

Joe made the revelation that the Cavaliers weren’t allowing Knicks fans to take up courtside seats at Rocket Arena during a Monday afternoon appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today.

“I wanna say to Cleveland, I have bad news. We had bought some courtside seats to the game and then, once they found out it was superfan Fat Joe, they was like, ‘I can’t sit courtside. New York Knicks fans can’t sit courtside,’” he explained.

Fat Joe and other superfans who made the trip to the Midwest — including Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and Ben Stiller — were eventually accommodated to the second and third rows, which Fat Joe has referred to as the “Joe Budden seats” in the past, instead of being stuck with no tickets at all.

“Playoff courtside seating is governed by a specific agreement that prohibits the resale or transfer of tickets without approval,” a Cavaliers spokesperson told The New York Post. “All courtside ticket holders are required to comply with the terms of the single-game playoff agreement.”

Billboard has also reached out to the Cavs for comment.

Even without his usual courtside view, It was a celebratory night for Fat Joe, as the Knicks throttled the Cavs to complete the 4-0 sweep in a 37-point beatdown 130-93, extending the team’s playoff win-streak to 11 games.

Joey Crack even posted a photo as part of the Knicks postgame celebration, as he shared a photo to IG with Knicks chairman/owner James Dolan while holding the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy (the Larry Bird Trophy), which was awarded to Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks and Fat Joe will have some time off to figure out their travel plans as they await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

Game one of the NBA Finals is slated for next Wednesday (June 3), and the Knicks will be on the road, so don’t be surprised to see Fat Joe and other members of celebrity row make the trip to OKC or San Antonio. The Knicks will look to end their half-century championship drought, as the franchise’s last title came in 1973.

The American Music Awards celebrated some of the year’s best music Monday night (May 25) through a star-packed lineup of performances — including KATSEYE, BTS and more — in addition to the awards. And now that the 2026 ceremony is in the books, Billboard wants to know which showcase was your favorite.

The Bangtan Boys opened the ceremony, contributing a pre-filmed performance of “Hooligan” from their ongoing Arirang World Tour that set the energetic vibe for the rest of the night. Later, the members of BTS appeared in person at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to present SZA with best female R&B artist and accept artist of the year as well as song of the summer for “SWIM.”

New artist of the year winner KATSEYE also earned top marks — at least according to Billboard, which published its ranking of all the night’s performances shortly after the show concluded — with a colorful, choreography-packed rendition of new single “Pinky Up.” The girl group’s slot came amid other performances from Sombr, who sang his hit “Homewrecker”; Teyana Taylor, who treated the audience to “All of Your Heart”; Maluma, who played “Tu Recuerdo”; Riley Green, who crooned “Worst Way”; and Twenty One Pilots, who brought “Drag Path” to the stage.

Plus, Karol G was mesmerizing as she performed “Ivonny Bonita” moments before accepting the rare international artist of excellence honor and best Latin album for Tropicoqueta, while a number of other iconic acts demonstrated the power of nostalgia. The Pussycat Dolls, for instance, dazzled with a medley of 2000s hits “Buttons,” ”When I Grow Up” and ”Don’t Cha” (also sprinkling in a bit of new single “Club Song”) with Busta Rhymes and Spliff, while Hootie & the Blowfish charmed the crowd with 1990s classics “Hold My Hand” and “Only Wanna Be With You,” and New Kids on the Block threw it back to the ’80s with “You Got It (The Right Stuff).” Keith Urban tapped into the ’70s for a cover of Seals and Crofts’ “Summer Breeze,” and Billy Idol celebrated winning this year’s lifetime achievement award with a show-closing medley of “Eyes Without a Face” and ”Dancing With Myself.”

But which of those diverse performances was the best of the entire night? That’s up to you.

Vote for which artist had your favorite performance at the 2026 AMAs in the poll below.

The three members of long-running Japanese action comic punk band Peelander-Z were seriously injured in a car crash last Monday (May 18) afternoon in Albuquerque, N.M. According to KOB4 TV, the band’s booking agent said the trio were driving westbound on I-40 an hour from the city when a semi-truck rear-ended their tour van.

The Japanese-born members of the high-energy band formed in Austin, Texas in 1998 — who each take on color-based pseudonyms such as those used by current members Peelander Yellow or Peelander Pink — have all been receiving treatment in an intensive care unit for injuries including broken bones, fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and other serious traumas.

Member Yellow (born Kengo Hioki) reportedly remains unresponsive, though a band spokesperson said doctors have taken him off a ventilator. “With the reports from the hospitals and from the doctors and the staff, things look very promising. It just was just, it was really bad,” booking agent Brad Raffenaud told the station. “Just lucky that they’re all three alive. I mean, if you were to drive past an accident like that, you wouldn’t imagine that anyone would survive that.”

The band has canceled all their remaining dates on their current tour and a GoFundMe has been raised to cover the medical expenses for Yellow, Pink and Tiger; at press time it had raised more than $156,000 of its $170,000 goal. According to the post, Yellow has “multiple fractures to his spine, ribs and arm and evidence of traumatic brain injury, which is being closely monitored.” The injuries are no longer considered life-threatening, but he will require additional surgeries and “significant rehabilitation.”

It reported that Pink (born Yumiko Kanazaki) suffered several bone fractures in her legs and pelvis, as well as abdominal trauma and organ injuries. She has reportedly undergone several surgeries and will also require quite a bit of rehabilitation. Third member, Tiger, reportedly “suffered a head injury and is being monitored for traumatic brain injury but has show significant progress and is expected to be discharged soon.” He will also reportedly require occupational and physical rehab after discharge.

In an Instagram post last week, Raffenaud wrote, “Friends. Please keep Peelander-Z in your thoughts. The band had a terrible accident yesterday in New Mexico while on tour. The van was rear ended by a semi truck and all members are currently hospitalized with major injuries and being closely monitored.”

At press time a spokesperson for the group could not be reached for comment on their current status of when they are expected to be discharged from the hospital. While all their upcoming headline shows have been canceled, some local Albuquerque bands will play a benefit show at the InsideOut on Friday (May 29) to help support the group, with sets from Night Child, Weedrat, Dazeyrot, Rebilt, 27 Devils Joking and more.