The English rock band Muse has announced the cancellation of multiple international shows, citing “unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.”

In an official statement, the band said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we will be unable to proceed with the upcoming scheduled shows. This has been a very difficult decision and one we did not take lightly. We’re truly sorry to everyone who purchased tickets and appreciate your understanding. Refunds will be available from the point of purchase. We hope to be back with you again very soon.”

The cancellations affect several major appearances, including the band’s performance at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (previously scheduled for February 4); the Calabash South Africa festivals at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (February 7) and DHL Stadium in Cape Town (February 11); and the Bandland Festival in Bengaluru, India (February 14–15).

Mark Cuban‘s putting some money on pop-punk, as the billionaire businessman has made an investment in Burwoodland, the live events producer behind Emo Night Brooklyn, Gimme Gimme Disco and Broadway Rave. Burwoodland declined to give financial details on how much Cuban has invested, only calling the development “an important milestone” as the company continues to expand from its New York headquarters into more parts of the U.S., Canada and Europe.

“It’s time we all got off our asses, left the house and had fun,” Cuban said in a statement. “Alex and Ethan know how to create amazing memories and experiences that people plan their weeks around. In an AI world, what you do is far more important than what you prompt.”

Tens of thousands of fans cancelled their tickets to the 2026 World Cup over the weekend amid safety fears, political protests, and human rights concerns in the U.S., leading FIFA to schedule an emergency meeting this week.

Per a report by Roya News, around 16,800 ticketholders cancelled their World Cup tickets overnight. The cancellations stem from boycotts shared across social media; fans overseas said they are backing out over safety concerns and discomfort with the U.S.’ political climate.

Given that FIFA has a strict no cancellation policy on sold tickets for the World Cup, it is likely that the figure is reflective of people cancelling their participation in the in the third phase of ticket sales for the event – either the “random draw” selection process, or purchase via member organizations.

The Travelin’ McCourys announced the Young Guns Tour 2026. The Eastern U.S. spring jaunt will see the bluegrass band bringing aboard the next generation’s most promising pickers.

“My dad [Del McCoury] showed us what it really means to pass the torch, by trusting the next generation and giving them room on the bandstand,” mandolinist Ronnie McCoury stated. “The Young Guns Tour comes straight out of that spirit, and out of DelFest, where the music goes beyond simply being shared. It’s well-respected and it’s handed down. It’s about making sure bluegrass keeps moving forward the right way.”

Kustom Entertainment has sold its 51% ownership stake in Nobility Healthcare in order to turn its attention to “high growth live entertainment and online ticketing markets”.

The company sold its healthcare billing and revenue cycle management subsidiary to the 49% minority owner for an estimated $1.45m (£1m/€1.2m).

“The divestiture represents a significant step in the company’s strategic shift to streamline its operations and focus exclusively on live entertainment and online ticketing markets business segment,” read a statement from Kustom Entertainment.

 Live Nation has officially broken ground on a new live entertainment venue designed to serve music fans in downtown Indianapolis.

The 4,000-capacity live music theater, which will be operated by Live Nation, is expected to be completed by the fall of 2027. The venue is part of the redevelopment of the former CSX Building site at Pennsylvania and Georgia Streets, serving as an anchor for a new mixed-use district in the city’s urban core.

Led by Boxcar Development LLC, an investment group including prominent Indianapolis businessman Herb Simon and his family, the project will also feature retail and hospitality spaces, including a new Marriott International offering. Specifically, the development features a 15-floor Ritz-Carlton tower with 176 rooms, managed by Sage Hospitality Group. A third-floor pedestrian bridge will connect the complex directly to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, creating a hospitality and entertainment hub for the region.

Katy Perry’s ‘Lifetimes’ tour wrapped last month, bringing in more than $134m (£99m/€115m) total gross ticket sales.

According to a report from Billboard, the American artist’s management said the tour sold more than 1.05 million tickets from 91 shows in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America.

It also raised money for good causes, with more than $264,000 collected in the US for Perry’s Firework Foundation to go towards empowering children through arts initiatives. In the UK, just over £81,000 was secured for the Music Venue Trust thanks to £1 being donated from each ticket sale.

Ticketmaster is urging a federal judge in Los Angeles to throw out the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's case accusing it of working with resellers to gouge fans, saying the law it is accused of violating applies only to resellers, not ticketing platforms.
Ticketmaster and parent company Live Nation (LYV.N), opens new tab urged U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong to dismiss the case.

The AEG Presents UK CEO is forecasting another strong 12 months for the industry after technological advancements in 2025

Noted talent agent Tony Goldring has reportedly signed on with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) as an agent in the company’s touring division.

According to IQ Magazine, Goldring, who is based in Los Angeles, will focus on supporting global touring across the agency’s roster.

A veteran of the live entertainment world, Goldring spent more than two decades at WME, including stints as head of the international touring department, where he helped to create and expand touring opportunities for high-profile clients such as Rihanna, Shakira, Pitbull, and Alicia Keys.

Lorde, Stray Kids and A$AP Rocky are set to headline the 2026 edition of Governors Ball, New York City’s signature music festival. Gov Ball will return to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens from June 5-7, coinciding with New York Music Month.

Other artists on this year’s bill include Baby Keem, Kali Uchis, Jennie, Katseye, Geese, Major Lazer, Pierce the Veil, Dominic Fike, Blood Orange, Clipse, Mariah The Scientist, Wet Leg, Amyl and The Sniffers, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist, The Dare, 2hollis, Ravyn Lenae, Japanese Breakfast, King Princess, Flipturn, Thee Sacred Souls and many more.

K-pop stars BTS are set to embark on a world tour in support of their currently unnamed fifth album, which was recently announced.

BTS took a nearly four-year hiatus, with members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook completing South Korea’s mandatory military service, and some pursuing solo projects.

The album will be released on March 20, and feature 14 new tracks.

Bruno Mars has added 30-plus new dates to his 2026 “Romantic Tour,” announced earlier this week, which marks his first full headline tour in nearly a decade. Produced by Live Nation, the 2026 tour will be his first full headlining stadium tour, spanning nearly 70 shows to date across North America, Europe and the U.K.

Second shows have been added in Las Vegas, Arlington, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Santa Clara, Madrid, Milan and more, with Paris and Vancouver each hosting three nights each. In Toronto, Amsterdam, East Rutherford and Los Angeles, the tour has expanded to four stadium shows per city, while London will see an extraordinary six-night run at Wembley Stadium in July.

We knew BTS would be pushing the boat out for their comeback tour, and the K-Pop group has not disappointed. They’ll be playing 79 shows across 34 countries this year and next, promoted by Live Nation.

Stadium concerts are scheduled for cities including London, Mexico City, Paris, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Sydney among others, with the promise of a 360-degree in-the-round performance.

It’s a big step up from the 12-date ‘Permission to Dance on Stage’ tour in 2021-22, but reflects not just BTS’s popularity but the growth of K-Pop’s live audience in general around the world.

Members of the BTS Army will get two days’ jump on everyone else if they pre-register for tickets on Hybe’s Weverse platform. Registration is limited for up to three cities, and four tickets per person.

Creative Artists Agency has hired Maxim Karlik as an agent in the Global Touring division. The role will see Maxim focusing on client strategy and new business opportunities across the agency.

Karlik, who will be based in CAA’s Los Angeles office, previously headed up UTA’s Music Crossover division. 

Today’s announcement from CAA notes that the Music Crossover division focused on integrating music clients across the agency’s publishing, audio, film, television, video games, theater, and voiceover divisions, with Karlik’s work including overseeing Post Malone’s acting roles in “Happy Gilmore 2” and “Road House.” He also helped with the launch of Post Malone’s graphic novel Big Rig, which was published by Vault Comics in collaboration with Michael Bay. 

“Catalog age is the strongest divider in today’s valuation landscape.” The words of Duetti’s first ‘Music Finance Index’ report, published as a partnership with Billboard this week.

The index aims to track the views of managers, lawyers, artists and their teams about music-catalogue valuations, with a deliberate focus on music-industry views rather than the investors who are buying the catalogues.

The ‘catalogue age’ perceptions are a prominent part of the first index, including some analysis of ‘perceived multiple ranges’ (the multiplier that a buyer might pay for a catalogue compared to its annual income).

With ticketing reforms afoot in the US and UK, now the calls for change are expanding to Europe, via an open letter signed by a number of artists, management and live firms and industry bodies.

The letter, to EU justice commissioner Michael McGrath, targets ‘predatory ticket resale’ with the goal of expanding the EU’s Digital Fairness Act to tackle “industrial-scale ticket scalping worth some €2.5bn annually”.

“Every week, we see a new controversy – recently, a globally renowned band touring Europe saw nearly 2,000 tickets marketed to EU consumers on an unauthorised ‘resale’ website before any had even gone on sale,” claims the letter.

Backstage at the benefit that took place Wednesday night under the name A Concert for Altadena, star and co-organizer Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes was talking about how he came close to thinking it was not necessarily vital to hold the concert exactly on the first anniversary of the devastating fires of Jan. 7, 2025.

“You know, I was saying today I’m so glad we did,” said Goldsmith, as the sold-out show was beginning at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. “Because initially I thought, ‘Oh, should we just do it on the Friday that week, to help people get here?’ But I mean, I’ve found myself, even, emotionally processing in ways that feel like this show’s gonna be all the more potent. If we had we done it on Friday, I feel like it just wouldn’t be necessarily living in us the way it is right at this moment.”

Lawyers for Live Nation and Ticketmaster are calling for the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against them last September by the Federal Trade Commission and seven states in a motion filed Jan. 6.

The companies claim that the suit is an “egregious instance of agency overreach” and that much of the FTC’s case against them, which cites the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, is a misapplication of that law.

Planning for the 2026 and 2027 festival seasons means “navigating a market in flux” according to ticketing software provider, Vivenu.

The Dusseldorf-headquartered business highlighted that only about 15% of festivals are currently operating at a profit and that the industry is experiencing the ‘Barbell Effect’ – a situation where global giants and niche community events are flourishing, but the middle market faces increasing pressure.

Vivenu argued that the core challenge is the increasing unpredictability of sales cycles.

A class-action lawsuit against Ticketmaster was authorized by the Quebec Superior Court on Monday. The U.S. company is accused of charging abusive service fees on ticket sales — fluctuating based on ticket price as opposed to the cost of the service — violating Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act and the Quebec Civil Code.

The lawsuit was first filed in 2024 by Montreal law firm Paquette Gadler on behalf of Felipe Morales, representing Quebecers who’ve bought tickets through Ticketmaster to shows in North America since July 2021.

A date for the trial has not yet been announced.

The 19-time Grammy Award-winning banjoist and bandleader was booked to play with the National Symphony Orchestra in February.

A proposed class action filed in California federal court accuses Ticketmaster of unlawfully using third-party tracking technology to capture and transmit users’ browsing data to major advertising and analytics firms without adequate notice or consent.

The lawsuit, filed Jan. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by plaintiff Jeffrey Scruggs, targets Ticketmaster LLC. Scruggs seeks to represent all California residents whose browsers were subjected to the “installation, execution, embedding, or injection” of tracking tools while using Ticketmaster.com during the applicable statute of limitations.

While recent litigation against Ticketmaster has largely focused on “junk fees” and market dominance, this case centers strictly on digital privacy. It alleges that Ticketmaster’s advertising and analytics “Trackers” function as illegal surveillance devices under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA).