Salsa Legend Willie Colón’s History on Billboard’s Charts

American salsa musician and activist Willie Colón, a towering pillar of Fania Records who made his chart entrance with his album Criollo in 1985, forged a history on Billboard’s charts spanning more than 40 years and counting.

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Willie Colon performs live on stage at James L. Knight Center on February 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida.

Willie Colón, Towering Giant of Salsa, Dead at 75

Willie Colon performs at the Climate Rally on the National Mall on April 25, 2010 in Washington, DC.

Latin Music World Mourns Willie Colón: ‘Maestro, Thank You for Your Legacy’

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As previously reported, Colón died Feb. 21 at age 75. His family announced the news over his social media accounts, stating that the celebrated trombonist arranger, bandleader and producer had “passed away peacefully.”

Colón, a key figure in the evolution of Nuyorican salsa (via New York artists with Puerto Rican ties), was instrumental in bringing the genre from New York’s barrios to worldwide acclaim. At just 16 years old, he began his musical career with the release of El Malo, his 1967 debut album, recorded alongside the legendary Héctor Lavoe.

Throughout the ‘70s, Colón became a cornerstone of the salsa revolution. With Larry Harlow, Johnny Pacheco and Bobby Valentín, he recorded the live album Fania All Stars at the Cheetah in 1973, a concert by Fania Records labelmates that helped propel salsa into international prominence, following in the footsteps of trailblazing genre greats Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz.

As Billboard’s menu of surveys expanded to dedicated weekly Latin lists in the ‘80s, Colón made his chart debut with the eight-track Criollo. A mix of salsa, Latin jazz and Latin soul, the set, released on RCA Records in 1984, debuted on the Top Tropical Albums chart in September 1985 and climbed to its No. 18 high the following month.

Colón found even greater results with Especial No. 5, which hit No. 13 on Top Tropical Albums in October 1986. The set yielded his first appearance on Hot Latin Songs, as “Lo Que Es De Juan” reached No. 33 upon the chart’s start that month. He entered the top 10 on Top Tropical Albums for the first time through Top Secrets (No. 3, June 1989).

Among his 20 charted titles on Top Tropical Albums during his lifetime, Colón secured seven top 10s, ranked below by peak position, with new entries in the upper tier stretching from 1989 to 2021:

Peak, Title, Artist, Year
No. 3, Celia y Willie, with Celia Cruz, 2021
No. 3, Cosa Nuestra, with Héctor Lavoe, 2020
No. 3, Tras La Tormenta, with Ruben Blades, 1995
No. 3, Top Secrets, 1989
No. 7, Wanted by the FBI for the Big Break-La Gran Fuga, 2018
No. 10, Asalto Navideño, with Héctor Lavoe 2020
No. 10, Selecciones Fania, with Héctor Lavoe, 2012

On a song level, “El Gran Varón” marked Colón’s other visit to Hot Latin Songs, reaching No. 13 in 1989.

Colón landed his first of two top 10s on the Tropical Airplay chart with “Tras La Tormenta,” which hit No. 5 in March 1995. The album’s title track also played a pivotal role in earning Colón his only top 10 on the Top Latin Albums chart, among four career entries, reaching No. 9.

On the most recently published Top Tropical Albums tally (dated Feb. 21), Colón’s Greatest Hits hit a new No. 11 high. Charts dated Feb. 28 will reflect activity Feb. 13-19, while the following week’s rankings, dated March 7 (and set to update on Billboard.com March 3), will measure totals in the days following his passing (Feb. 20-26).

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‘American Idol’ Singer Caleb Flynn Charged With Wife’s Murder & Staging Crime Scene

Authorities in Ohio have arrested and charged a former contestant on American Idol with shooting and killing his wife and staging the crime scene to mislead investigators.

Caleb Flynn, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder, assault and tampering with evidence.

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“I just want to take care of my daughters. I’m not a risk,” he told Judge Samuel Huffman in a video of his arraignment from jail.

The judge set his bond at $2 million.

Ashley Flynn, 37, was found dead Monday after officers received a report of a burglary and shooting at a Tipp City, Ohio, home, according to a news release by Tipp City Police. Her husband and two children were inside the home when officers arrived.

In a 911 call released by authorities, a frantic Caleb Flynn tells a dispatcher someone broke into his home and killed his wife. He says she was shot multiple times in the head and he doesn’t know whether the intruder was still there.

“There’s blood everywhere, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” he says.

His attorney, Patrick Mulligan, said in a statement on Saturday he and Flynn were “disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case.” Police arrested Flynn on Thursday.

“When the government runs out of leads or can’t develop leads and looks at a surviving spouse in cases such as these, the chance of a wrongful conviction increases,” the statement said.

Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins defended the investigation, saying in an email on Saturday that it had “not moved fast.”

“Rather, it has progressed at a pace dictated by a thorough and deliberate investigative process,” he said.

Ashley Flynn was a middle school volleyball coach and substitute teacher, Tipp City Schools said on its Facebook page.

“She was known for her beautiful smile, warmth, kindness, and the positive impact she had on so many—both in and out of the classroom and on the court,” the post said.

Flynn auditioned for American Idol in Chicago in 2013, and in a Road to Hollywood video posted by the show at the time, he says his wife nudged him to try out for a third time. “I love my wife more than anything,” he says in the video. “She’s very, very pretty.” Watch the video below.

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Latin Music World Mourns Willie Colón: ‘Maestro, Thank You for Your Legacy’

From Rubén Blades and Marc Anthony to Grupo Niche, Elvis Crespo and Olga Tañón, major figures in Latin music mourned the loss of salsa pioneer Willie Colón, who died Saturday (Feb. 21) in New York City at the age of 75.

Blades, with whom Colón formed a legendary duo in the ’70s and ’80s that produced the seminal salsa album Siembra, shared the news of his former collaborator’s death with disbelief. “I have just confirmed what I was resisting to believe: Willie Colón has indeed passed away. To his wife Julia, his children, family, and loved ones, I send my heartfelt condolences. Later, and with calm, I will write about Willie and his vital and important musical legacy,” he wrote on Instagram.

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Willie Colon performs live on stage at James L. Knight Center on February 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida.

Willie Colón, Towering Giant of Salsa, Dead at 75

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Salsa icon Marc Anthony shared a photo in his Instagram Stories of him singing alongside Colón, accompanied by the text: “Maestro, thank you for your legacy. Your music lives on forever. R.I.P. Willie.”

Elvis Crespo issued an extensive press release mourning the legend’s death. “Today, the trombones of the Bronx inspire my gratitude to God and life for allowing me to hear the genius of an artist who communicated through his creativity and sensitivity. His influence is etched into my brain and my heart,” expressed the merengue star. “THANK YOU, MAESTRO WILLIE COLÓN, FOR YOUR ART!”

The iconic Colombian salsa music band Grupo Niche also shared a heartfelt tribute to whom they called an “absolute reference of our culture,” with “songs that marked generations, stories that became anthems, and an artistic force that forever transformed salsa.”

Puerto Rican merengue star Olga Tañón expressed her condolences to Colón’s loved ones: “Maestro, the great Willie Colón, rest in peace!!!!! To all of Don Willie’s family and fans, my deepest condolences.”

The Latin Recording Academy highlighted the musician’s legacy, which they honored with a special lifetime achievement award in 2004. “Today, we bid farewell with deep sadness to salsa legend Willie Colón — singer-songwriter, trombonist, arranger, and producer — recognized with our Award for Musical Excellence,” the institution wrote on Instagram. “His legacy transformed salsa by turning it into a global phenomenon, establishing a sound and aesthetic that defined an era and continues to inspire generations of artists. Rest in peace.”

“Thank you, maestro, for your inspiration!” Dominican musician and producer Maffio shared.

Urban music star Farruko posted a tribute on his social media alongside a black-and-white photo of him posing with the salsero. “Rest in peace, legend Willie Colón, one of the Fathers of salsa. Respect, admiration, and legacy,” he wrote.

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Willie Colón, Towering Giant of Salsa, Dead at 75

Willie Colón, the iconic trombonist, arranger, bandleader and producer who was one of the architects of salsa, a leader of the genre and one of its most towering names, died Saturday (Feb. 21). He was 75 years old.

His death was confirmed in a Facebook post by his longtime manager, Pietro Carlos. “Willie didn’t just change salsa,” wrote Carlos. “He expanded it, politicized it, clothed it in urban chronicles and took it to stages where it hadn’t been before. His trombone was the voice of the people.”

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The eulogy is not an exaggeration. A massively talented musician, Colón rose from a tough upbringing in the South Bronx to become not just a masterful performer, but a visionary musician who took the music of his Puerto Rican parents and understood precisely how to blend it with the New York jazz and funk scene. There is perhaps no other musician from the fabled Fania empire who so epitomized the salsa sound that propelled Latin music in the ’70s and who so defined it as a quadruple threat. Colón was not, by his own admission, a brilliant singer, but he wrote his songs, he arranged them, he produced them and he played his trombone like no one else in Latin music.

Signed to Fania when he was only 15 years old, his possibilities were quickly discerned by label founders Johnny Pacheco and Jerry Masucci, who put him to work producing his own albums as well as those of others.

Colón’s very long list of genre-defining hits includes his seminal “Ché Ché Colé” and “Aguanile,” recorded with Héctor Lavoe on vocals; the album Celia and Willie alongside Celia Cruz; and of course, the ground-breaking Siembra, the 1978 album he recorded with Ruben Blades, which includes the hit “Pedro Navaja” and which still is the biggest-selling salsa album of all time.

Indeed, it was Colón who introduced Blades to the world in 1977’s Metiendo Mano, an album whose cover is a photo of Colón, dressed as a boxing trainer and holding high Blades’ hand. Produced by Colón and Jerry Masucci, it was the first of five collaborative albums by Colón and Blades (the two would eventually split up and sue each other, but had recently reconciliated), and its opening song, “Pablo Pueblo,” marked the beginning of what would be known as more socially conscious salsa, whose message and intent went beyond merely dancing.

Colón’s colorful life, always anchored by his beloved New York, included often-polemic stints in politics, art and film. But to him, everything stemmed from his origins and the music.

“I came from a really tough neighborhood,” he told Billboard during an interview several years ago, explaining why so many of his album covers and titles depicted tough-guy images. “And my father spent time in jail. Almost everybody went to jail. A lot of people were getting home from the Korea war and Vietnam; there was rampant drug use in the streets. So this was kind of a way of symbolically showing the world what was going on. Since my father was arrested, my friends were arrested, there was a lot of interaction between us and the police. I was able to be a badass gangster and not do it for real. And since that was part of what was going on, it made my music relevant.”

William Anthony Colón Román was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents and gravitated to music early on after his grandmother gave him a trumpet when he was 11 years old.

“I studied music in junior high school; I didn’t go to any conservatory or anything,” he told me. “I met an African-American trumpeter in my block who heard me playing, and came and knocked and became my mentor. He taught me how to read music. I looked forward to rehearsing with him. And as soon as I learned how to play a couple of songs, I got a couple of kids together and we used to play and pass the hat around.”

By the time Colón was 15 years old, he had his own band and was playing the teen circuit, entourage and all. Eventually, he started recording on his own and shopping for a record label.

“And Herb Greenbaum — who was the engineer of most of the early Fania records — said: ‘Do you mind if I play it for Jerry Masucci?’ Jerry listened to an instrumental track called Jazzy, and I took my business representative, who was my mother — a high school graduate — and they signed us for $500.”

Johnny Pacheco, assigned to be Colón’s producer, suggested a different singer, Héctor Lavoe. “Jerry [Masucci] convinced us, and it was a great combination,” said Colón.

Colón would transcend the Fania days, recording more than 40 studio albums in his lifetime, and his music would cross generations. Rauw Alejandro’s acclaimed 2024 album Cosa Nuestra, for example, is directly inspired in concept and title by Colón’s 1970 album of the same name, whose cover shows him in gangster mode holding what could be a gun case next to a body alongside the East River, but is actually a trombone case.

A prolific performer, Colón toured literally up until his death.

“I only cared about the music,” he once told me.

Colón was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000, received a lifetime achievement award from The Latin Recording Academy in 2004, and was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

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New Found Glory Return With 11th Studio Album ‘Listen Up!’

Pop-punk mainstays New Found Glory have ended a six-year album gap with Listen Up!, their 11th studio LP and first release via Pure Noise Records. The 10-track set arrived Feb. 20.

Formed in 1997 in Coral Springs, Florida, the quartet — vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarist Chad Gilbert, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Cyrus Bolooki — are approaching their 30th anniversary as a band.

Listen Up! follows 2023’s Make the Most of It EP and arrives amid a period of personal challenges for the group, including Gilbert’s ongoing battle with aggressive metastatic cancer.

The album builds on the introspective tone of that EP while returning to the band’s fast-paced, riff-driven pop-punk sound. The project opens with “Boom Roasted” and closes with “Frankenstein’s Monster,” and includes previously released tracks “Beer and Blood Stains,” “Treat Yourself” and “Laugh It Off,” along with the newly issued “A Love Song.”

Speaking about the album’s intent, Gilbert said, “We wanted to make something that really focused on how lucky we are.” That sentiment is echoed in “Beer and Blood Stains,” which reflects on the band’s early years and includes the lyric, “It’s good to be alive.”

The writing process included Bolooki and Grushka traveling to Gilbert’s Nashville-area home to develop material together, resulting in what the band has described as a renewed, riff-first approach reminiscent of earlier releases.

Following the album’s release, New Found Glory will hit the road for an extensive run of shows. The band joins Yellowcard for the Up Up Down Down Tour, a 27-date spring outing with Plain White T’s beginning May 6 in Atlanta and concluding June 20 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Stops include Chicago, Denver, Nashville and New York.

International dates include an appearance at Hammersonic 2026 in Indonesia on May 3. Festival stops are also scheduled at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in Columbus (May 14–17) and multiple dates of the returning Vans Warped Tour, including Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Orlando.

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Bruno Mars Unveils ‘The Romantic’ Tracklist After Decade Between LPs

After a decade-long gap between solo studio albums, Bruno Mars has unveiled the tracklist for his fourth LP, The Romantic, due Feb. 27.

The nine-song set marks his first solo release since 2016’s 24K Magic. Mars revealed the full lineup Monday (Feb. 16), confirming that the album will be led by “I Just Might,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — his first career No. 1 debut and his 10th Hot 100 chart-topper overall.

The album arrives during a sustained period of chart momentum for Mars. His collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile,” topped the Billboard Global 200 for 18 weeks and earned a Grammy Award.

Meanwhile, “APT.” with ROSÉ spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 12 weeks atop the Global 200. The track was named IFPI’s biggest-selling global single of 2025 and Apple Music’s most-streamed song globally for the year.

In January 2025, Mars became the first artist in Spotify history to surpass 150 million monthly listeners. He also became the first artist to earn six RIAA Diamond-certified singles in 2022. As of 2026, he holds at least seven Diamond certifications, including “Just the Way You Are,” which is certified 21-times Platinum and ranks as the highest-certified song in RIAA history.

Other Diamond-certified hits include “Uptown Funk” (with Mark Ronson), “Grenade,” “That’s What I Like,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man” and “The Lazy Song.”

Mars has scored 35 Billboard Hot 100 entries, including 10 No. 1 hits. His debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, has logged more than 345 weeks on the Billboard 200 and remains the longest-running studio album by a solo male artist on the chart.

The Romantic tracklist:

  1. “Risk It All”
  2. “Cha Cha Cha”
  3. “I Just Might”
  4. “God Was Showing Off”
  5. “Why You Wanna Fight?”
  6. “On My Soul”
  7. “Something Serious”
  8. “Nothing Left”
  9. “Dance With Me”
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How to Buy Tickets to J. Cole’s The Fall Off Tour Online

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

After announcing his latest (and possibly final) tour for his album The Fall-Off earlier this week, fans can now shop J. Cole tickets online. Spanning 50-plus tour dates worldwide, the headlining arena run will cross the globe, visiting more than 50 cities across 15 countries, making stops through New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney and Johannesburg. If you want to secure concert tickets to the The Fall-Off tour at a venue near you, keep reading on for our guide on buying affordable tickets online.

Where to Buy Tickets to J. Cole’s The Fall-Off Tour, At a Glance:

Whether or not he retires, this will be Cole’s first global tour in nearly a decade. Fans have already shown their hype levels for the show when almost 250,000 fans queued up on Ticketmaster to get first dibs at presale access. His seventh studio album also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, which he’s previously done with The Off-Season (2021), KOD (2018), 4 Your Eyez Only (2016), 2014 Forest Hills Drive (2014), Born Sinner (2013), and Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011).

Learn how to shop J. Cole tickets below.

How to Buy Tickets to J. Cole’s The Fall Off Tour Online

Here’s where to find affordable tickets still available and on sale online below.

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Vivid Seats is also great for group tickets: the site has a rewards program that gives you your eleventh ticket free (in the form of a credit) after you buy ten tickets online. And as a bonus, you can use our exclusive promo code BB30 to take $30 off your purchase at VividSeats.com.

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J. Cole The Fall Off 2026 Tour Dates

July 11: Charlotte, N.C. (Spectrum Center)
July 14: Miami (Kaseya Center)
July 15: Tampa, Fla. (Benchmark International Arena)
July 17: Atlanta (State Farm Arena)
July 20: Philadelphia (Xfinity Mobile Arena)
July 23: Baltimore (CFG Bank Arena)
July 25: Montreal (Bell Centre)
July 27: Toronto (Scotiabank Arena)
July 31: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclays Center)
Aug. 4: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Aug. 5: Queens, N.Y. (UBS Arena)
Aug. 7: Boston (TD Garden)
Aug. 11: Chicago (United Center)
Aug. 15: Cleveland (Rocket Arena)
Aug. 16: Detroit (Little Caesars Arena)
Aug. 18: Minneapolis (Target Center)
Aug. 19: Kansas City, Mo. (T-Mobile Center)
Aug. 21: Denver (Ball Arena)
Aug. 24: Vancouver, British Columbia (Rogers Arena)
Aug. 25: Seattle (Climate Pledge Arena)
Aug. 27: Sacramento, Calif. (Golden 1 Center)
Aug. 29: Oakland, Calif. (Oakland Arena)
Sept. 1: Los Angeles (Crypto.com Arena)
Sept. 3: Inglewood, Calif. (Intuit Dome)
Sept. 6: Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena)
Sept. 9: San Diego (Viejas Arena)
Sept. 10: Phoenix (Mortgage Matchup Center)
Sept. 13: San Antonio (Frost Bank Center)
Sept. 14: Austin, Texas (Moody Center)
Sept. 16: Houston (Toyota Center)
Sept. 19: Dallas (American Airlines Center)
Sept. 23: Fayetteville, N.C. (Crown Coliseum)

Oct. 7: Berlin (Uber Arena)
Oct. 9: Zurich, Switzerland (AG Hallenstadion)
Oct. 12: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Ziggo Dome)
Oct. 15: Cologne, Germany (LANXESS Arena)
Oct. 17: Antwerp, Belgium (AFAS Dome)
Oct. 19: London (The O2)
Oct. 20: London (The O2)
Oct. 22: Dublin, Ireland (3Arena)
Oct. 25: Birmingham, England (Utilita Arena)
Oct. 26: Glasgow, Scotland (OVO Hydro)
Oct. 28: Manchester, England (Co-op Live)
Oct. 31: Nottingham, England (Motorpoint Arena)

Nov. 5: Paris (Accor Arena)
Nov. 8: Hamburg, Germany (Barclays Arena)
Nov. 9: Copenhagen, Denmark (Royal Arena)
Nov. 11: Stockholm, Sweden (Avicii Arena)
Nov. 12: Oslo, Norway (Unity Arena)

Nov. 25: Brisbane, Australia (Brisbane Entertainment Centre)
Nov. 28: Melbourne, Australia (Rod Laver Arena)
Dec. 1: Sydney, Australia (Qudos Bank Arena)
Dec. 5: Auckland, New Zealand (Spark Arena)
Dec. 12: Johannesburg, South Africa (FNB Stadium)

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Manon Taking a Hiatus From KATSEYE to ‘Focus on Her Health & Wellbeing’

KATSEYE announced late Friday (Feb. 20) that Manon is taking a temporary hiatus from the girl group “to focus on her health and wellbeing.”

The announcement came via the KATSEYE fan community on Weverse in a notice posted at 6:45 p.m. ET Friday night by HYBE and Geffen.

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“After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing,” the message reads. “We fully support this decision. KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. The group will continue scheduled activities during this time, and we look forward to being together again when the time is right. Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”

The notice is signed “HxG,” for their joint labels of HYBE and Geffen Records. Billboard has reached out to a rep for the group for further comment.

KATSEYE was formed in 2023 through the reality competition series The Debut: Dream Academy, which saw 20 candidates whittled down to the final six-member girl group. Since their formation, they’ve gone on to release two EPs — 2024’s SIS (Soft Is Strong) and 2025’s Beautiful Chaos — with the latter spawning their first two Billboard Hot 100 hits: “Gnarly” (No. 82) and “Gabriela” (No. 26).

At the Grammy Awards earlier this month, KATSEYE was nominated for best new artist as well as best pop duo/group performance for “Gabriela,” and they performed “Gnarly” as part of the medley of best new artist nominees.

Manon (full name: Manon Bannerman) was born in Switzerland and gained acclaim prior to joining KATSEYE through posting fashion and lifestyle videos on TikTok and Instagram starting in 2021.

Find the full message about Manon’s hiatus below:

Hello.

After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing.

We fully support this decision. KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. The group will continue scheduled activities during this time, and we look forward to being together again when the time is right.

Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.

HxG

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Watch Kelly Clarkson & John Legend Warm Up for New ‘Voice’ Season With Surprise NYC Karaoke Session

We would definitely turn our red chairs around for two surprise karaoke singers who popped up at New York’s Baby Grand LES on Thursday night: Kelly Clarkson and John Legend.

The two pop superstars — who return as coaches alongside Adam Levine on The Voice: Battle of Champions starting Monday — stopped by the NYC karaoke bar along with comedian and social celeb Druski for some impromptu performances, and Billboard was on the scene.

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Druski kicked things off with Journey’s sing-along staple “Don’t Stop Believin’,” asking for a shot at the. beginning and having it delivered by the last chorus. Next up was Legend, who told the crowd “I only rap when I do karaoke” before tackling Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Finally, Clarkson did what she does best — singing other people’s songs as well as and often even better than the originals — by covering Gloria Gaynor’s karaoke classic “I Will Survive.”

Billboard even got to make a request: When Clarkson asked for some good karaoke songs and we nominated “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” the trio performed Bonnie Tyler’s four-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit from 1983. Finally, the crew banded together for Clarkson’s 2005 Hot 100 No. 2 hit “Since U Been Gone” for a shout-along finish.

Next week, you can catch Clarkson, Legend and Levine on The Voice: Battle of Champions, which finds the coaches inviting back some of their favorite winners over the past 28 seasons of the NBC reality singing competition to see who will reign supreme. The season premiere is on Monday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Above, you can watch an interview with this season’s coaches, where they talk about Clarkson’s triumphant return to The Voice and why Jordan Smith — who has found success on Billboard‘s Christian charts since winning season 9 — is going to be tough to beat.

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Live Nation Deletes Post Telling DOJ ‘It’s Time to Move On’ From Monopoly Lawsuit

Live Nation has quietly taken down a blog post in which its top lawyer publicly urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle its antitrust case against the promotion giant without forcing the sale of Ticketmaster.

On Thursday (Feb. 19), Live Nation head of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall argued in a post titled “It’s Time to Move On” that the DOJ has already lost its legal arguments for breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. But as of Friday morning (Feb. 20), that post had become a dead link on Live Nation’s site.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Dan Wall, Live Nation's Executive Vice President for Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, listens during a subcommittee hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Russell Senate Office Building on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. The subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, held the hearing to discuss the live entertainment industry and improper ticket sale practices. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

‘It’s Time to Move On’: Live Nation Legal Chief Urges DOJ to Settle Monopoly Case Without Spinning Off Ticketmaster

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Live Nation reps did not return inquiries from Billboard as to why the post was deleted.

A trial is currently scheduled to begin next month in the DOJ’s blockbuster legal action — in which it was joined by dozens of state attorneys general — that seeks to reduce Live Nation’s market share across the live music industry. The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation has monopolistically impeded competition — claims the company strongly denies.

Wall’s now-deleted blog post appealed to the DOJ to enter into a “realistic, common-sense” settlement rather than take the case to trial. It was an unusual public negotiating tactic, but not the first sign that Live Nation wants a deal; Semafor recently reported that Kellyanne Conway and Mike Davis, allies of President Donald Trump, are lobbying the administration on the company’s behalf.

The crux of Wall’s post was his interpretation of a key Wednesday (Feb. 18) court ruling in the lawsuit. In that ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian held that the trial should go forward on the legality of both Ticketmaster’s exclusive venue contracts and Live Nation’s policy of “tying” its artist promotion services to shows at its amphitheaters — though he ruled there’s insufficient evidence for the DOJ’s claim that the company has broadly monopolized the national concert promotion market.

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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 23: The Live Nation logo is displayed at Live Nation corporate offices on May 23, 2024 in Hollywood, California. The Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit that accuses Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry to the detriment of concertgoers and artists alike. The lawsuit seeks to structure how the company operates and includes breaking apart the two entities. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Live Nation Can’t Escape DOJ Monopoly Lawsuit as Judge Sends Antitrust Case to Trial

Wall’s post argued that the ruling “undermines any serious argument for breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.” He suggested the DOJ’s case has been seriously weakened now that it can no longer claim a concert promotions monopoly, and that the best path forward is a settlement that contains some “meaningful” relief without spinning off Ticketmaster.

Separately from Wall weighing in, the implications of Judge Subramanian’s Wednesday order are already being litigated in court. Live Nation’s outside lawyers filed papers on Thursday arguing that the dismissal of promotion-monopoly claims fatally dooms the tying allegations, and that the decision also should bar the DOJ from introducing evidence at trial that Live Nation allegedly threatened to withhold Live Nation acts from venues if they didn’t use Ticketmaster.

The government has been ordered to respond to these arguments by midday on Saturday (Feb. 21).  


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