Ticketmaster announced Wednesday (July 24) that the company is expanding its presence in Africa with the acquisition of Quicket, described in a press release as “a major player in Africa’s general admission event and festival ticketing.”   

Quicket, which was founded in South Africa in 2011, is known for its self-service platform and event organizer tools. Since then, the company has expanded beyond the country to Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Botswana.

“Africa is home to some of the most passionate fans in the world who we have the privilege of connecting to the events they love, simply and securely,” said Ticketmaster president Mark Yovich in a statement. “Our commitment to delivering top-tier tools for promoters, venues, and artists is unwavering. Partnering with Quicket will supercharge our mission to elevate Africa’s dynamic live events to the global spotlight they truly deserve. Together, we are igniting a new era of unparalleled growth for African entertainment.” 

Ticketmaster launched operations on the continent in 2022 when it opened an office in Capetown, South Africa.

With the acquisition, Ticketmaster says African venues, artists and promoters will benefit from Ticketmaster’s global reach, working in tandem with Quicket’s regional expertise. The ticketing giant adds that the deal will enable the expansion of digital technologies, including secure encrypted mobile tickets, on the continent. 

Under the leadership of Quicket MD James Tagg, the company will continue to operate as a standalone business unit from Cape Town. 

“The passion for live entertainment is at the heart of African culture,” said Tagg in a statement. “Over the past 13 years, we’ve empowered event creators across the continent to deliver exceptional experiences through our ticketing platform. Partnering with Ticketmaster marks a landmark moment in connecting African artists to a global audience and enhancing the experience for local fans and promoters alike.”

Colombian superstar Karol G officially wrapped her Mañana Será Bonito World Tour – a yearlong tour de force stint that touched base in the U.S., Latin America and Europe, with her last show in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where she became the first artist to sell out four shows at that venue.

“Hey familia, after almost seventy nights, I’m going to say for real that tonight is going to be the coolest night of my life,” said Karol, who, for this special occasion, ditched her pink-hued locks and appeared in her iconic, teal-dyed hair at the beginning of the show. The blue hair stayed for the first 30 minutes of the show, a nod to her KG0516 era, and with it she performed hits like the fiery “TQG,” the cheeky reggaeton anthem “Mi Cama” and her breakthrough song “Tusa.”

Billed as Mañana Será Bonito Forever, the show also streamed on Karol’s official YouTube page, kicking off at 6pm ET (after the show ended in Madrid) and at one point the stream surpassed 1 million people tuning in, with hearts flooding the comments section. Meanwhile, at the Bernabéu, thousands of fans danced and sang decked out in flowery Mañana Será Bonito merch with pink cowboy hats or fluffy earmuffs as an extra nod to Karol’s Bichota Season aesthetic.

The last show was a culmination of her extraordinary tour – and yes, extraordinary because no other women in Latin music had headlined a global stadium tour. The trek – in support of Karol’s Grammy-winning, Billboard 200-topping album by the same name – also became a top grossing event — she was the was the highest grossing Latin touring artist of 2023 — and the moment wasn’t lost on Karol who was visibly emotional during the show as she stared out at the sea of fans who chanted “Karol, Karol.”

Not much changed for her last show from previous performances (except for the hair color changes throughout the over two-hour set, going blue to red and then pink). Karol stuck to the show fans have raved about all year long singing all her old and new hits – including her latest, the merengue-powered “Si Antes Te Hubieras Conocido,” which currently sits atop the Hot Latin Songs chart.

“I always think I have the words for everything but I would like to find the words to describe how I feel as a person, as a woman, how I feel here in front of all of you, how I feel knowing that, at home, there are thousands of people watching me right now,” a tearful Karol, dressed in a gorgeous angelic white dress, told her fans. “If there is something beautiful that this journey taught me, it was to learn to love myself, I am sure that God made me unique as well as he made us all unique for a reason. This tour allowed me to find my purpose in life and that is to help people feel like I feel now after so many years of not feeling this way. I’m closing a chapter of my life that meant everything, the closeness with my fans, with my family and after all, tomorrow was very beautiful. From my heart, I wish this for each one of you, so learn to put yourselves above many things, love yourselves very much, I love you with my life, my relationship for life is with you. Thank you!”  

Making the connection even deeper with a few lucky fans fans, Karol stepped down from the stage mid-show greeting those in the front section, including little kids, and personally picking up gifts along the way; a bouquet of flowers, a stuffed unicorn, a rainbow flag and a cowboy hat.

The tears continued to flow when she performed “Mientras Me Curo del Cora,” and Iker, the little boy who was a key figure in her Mañana Será Bonito concept, appeared on stage wearing green, white and red (representing Mexico) holding a traditional Mexican rag doll as a gift for Karol. “He was my inner child in this process,” Karol said as she introduced him to her fans. The two embraced and Karol reminded everyone, “nothing matters because mañana será bonito.”

Toward the end of the show, she sang an encore of “Amargura,” this time accompanied by a salsa band, which included Emily Estefan on percussion. But right before, she expressed, “This tour changed my life, it changed the lives of many people. I feel proud to represent my home country and I feel much more proud to represent all my Latin countries. I would love to stop time and stay here crying, singing, thank you for making me so happy. I don’t want to leave, if it was up to me, I’d start the show all over again.”

But alas, all good things come to an end. And Karol officially closed with “Provenza,” the song that “started everything,” she said. “Here and those at home, let’s enjoy this moment like if it was our last and best night of our lives.”

Chris Brown and several members of his entourage, along with Brown’s 11:11 Tour promoter Live Nation, are facing a lawsuit over an alleged assault that took place following Brown’s concert in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday night.

Filed Monday (July 22) in Harris County district court by attorneys Tony Buzbee and Caroline Adams, the lawsuit claims that Brown and several accomplices “brutally and severely beat” four men — Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush and Damarcus Powell — backstage at Dickies Arena in an unprovoked attack following the show.

“The violence included Brown and his entourage surrounding the Plaintiffs, throwing chairs at them, and repeatedly kicking, stomping, and beating them,” the complaint reads. “The unprovoked violence included multiple strikes to the Plaintiffs’ heads and chests, and ultimately involved stomping them while they were down. The brutal, violent assault participated in and directed by Brown, severely injured all Plaintiffs.”

According to the complaint, the attack occurred after the four men were invited to the backstage VIP area following the show, where they allegedly waited 30 minutes for Brown to arrive. “Having grown tired of waiting,” the complaint reads, the men began making their way to the exit, at which point Bush says he approached Brown to shake his hand and congratulate him on the concert. After exchanging pleasantries, a member of Brown’s crew then allegedly shouted to Brown, “Man, you don’t remember you two were beefing?” The lawsuit claims that Brown then replied, “Oh yeah, we were…I don’t forget sh–” before instructing his entourage to “f—” Bush up.

At that point, the plaintiffs claim that Brown, along with “seven to ten members” of his crew, followed them into a hallway as they were attempting to leave and attacked them. “One of Brown’s entourage, known by the alias Sinko, ran to the left side of the crowd and punched Bush in the chest,” the complaint reads. “Simultaneously, another of Brown’s entourage, stage alias Hood Boss, picked up a chair and threw it at Bush’s head.”

The complaint says that Parker was also badly beaten after Brown allegedly instructed another member of his entourage, Markies Deandre Conway (a.k.a. Yella Beezy), and several others to “f—” him up. After fleeing into a stairwell, the lawsuit claims Parker became trapped by a locked door at the bottom of the stairs, where he was subsequently attacked by Brown and several other men.

“Upon instruction by Brown, Parker was then punched in the face and chest, kicked in the head for over ten minutes, and stomped on by Defendant Brown and his associates,” the complaint alleges. “Brown encouraged his companions to join in the assault simultaneously. Brown and his entourage then continued to beat Plaintiff Parker closed fisted for almost minutes, repeatedly stomping on Defendant Parker’s head, kicking his face and ribs, and causing severe bodily injury.”

Brown and his crew are also accused of punching Powell in the shoulder and punching Lewis in the shoulder and chest.

The complaint claims that all four men required medical treatment and that Parker was hospitalized and “will need to undergo extensive medical treatment for the damages he suffered in the attack, including head injuries.”

In addition to Brown, the lawsuit names three members of his entourage — Conway, Hood Boss (a.k.a. Omololu Omari Akinlolu) and Sinko Ceej — as defendants. As for Live Nation, the complaint alleges that the concert promoter continued working with Brown despite his history of “bad conduct and violent conduct.” According to the lawsuit, the company “shamelessly profits and promotes Brown’s The 11:11 Tour and brought Brown to Texas for financial gain. Live Nation failed to insure that the [participants] of the concert who may be around Brown, and his associates, were safe.”

The plaintiffs are asking for compensatory and punitive damages “in excess [of] $50 million,” along with actual damages for “pecuniary losses, pain and suffering, disfigurement, mental anguish, and past, present, and future medical expenses,” among other relief.

In making its case, the plaintiffs’ attorneys make note of several of the defendants’ criminal histories, alleging that Ceej was a member of “the blood gang” and spent “at least eight years in prison” and that Conway, “a former Crip gang member,” has been arrested multiple times for firearm possession and sexual assault.

The lawsuit additionally recounts Brown’s well-publicized brushes with the law, including the singer’s guilty plea for beating his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, for which he was sentenced to five years’ probation and community service and forced to undergo domestic violence counseling. Brown has been arrested and/or sued multiple times for various instances of alleged physical and sexual assault, including by multiple women and his former manager, Michael Guirguis. In 2014, Brown pleaded guilty to simple assault for punching a man in the face the previous year.

Representatives for Brown, Live Nation and Conway did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment. Representatives for Akinlolu and Ceej could not be located for comment.

Jimin‘s Muse has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 19) on Billboard, choosing the BTS star’s second solo album as their favorite new music release of the past week.

Muse brought in 68% of the vote on the poll, securing a notable edge ahead of new releases from Stray Kids (Ate), Joe Jonas (“Work It Out”), JADE (“Angel of My Dreams”), Childish Gambino (Bando Stone & The New World), and others.

Jimin first announced Muse in June, with BigHit Music writing in a statement that the album would showcase his “expanded musical spectrum.” “Following his first solo album, ‘Face,’ where he sought to explore his true identity, ‘Muse’ documents his journey in search of the source of his inspiration,” the release continued.

The project features collaborations with Loco and Sofia Carson, with the K-pop icon experimenting with bold new sounds and styles throughout. The set follows 2023’s Face, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Jimin first made his solo debut in 2018, when he dropped the single “Promise.” Five years later, he became the first South Korean soloist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Like Crazy.”

Muse is just one of a few projects that Jimin has been working on amid his time in the South Korean military, in which all of his BTS bandmates — except for Jin, who finished his enlistment in June — are currently serving.

Jimin is also gearing up to release a docu-series titled Are You Sure?! with Jung Kook chronicling the two friends’ travels through parts of their home country, the U.S. and Japan.

Trailing behind Muse on this week’s poll is Stray Kids’ mini-album Ate, with 27% of the vote. The eight-member K-pop group dropped the project two months after the arrival of their Charlie Puth-assisted single “Lose My Breath,” marking the group’s third single of 2024.

See the final results of this week’s poll below. Check out Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide to catch up with more must-hear releases from this week.