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Scam alert: Fraudsters pose as agents to the stars

Scammers have been masquerading as CAA agents, claiming to be booking tours for Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber.

IQ has been alerted to messages sent by fraudsters from multiple random email addresses, with promoters advised to “check when something seems too good to be true”.

One set of mails also says that CAA have changed email addresses due to a data breach, which is untrue. All legitimate email addresses for CAA staff are from @caa.com. An example of a recent scam email, purporting to be from CAA’s Mark Cheatham, read as follows:

“We are thrilled to bring you an exclusive opportunity to secure dates for the upcoming *Faith* World Tour, starring global superstar and multi-Grammy Award®-winner Justin Bieber. The tour will begin on December 1st, 2024, and will wrap up on July 30th, 2025, in celebration of his latest album *Faith*.

“This announcement has not yet been made public, providing you with a rare opportunity to book your dates before the official news is released.

“Justin Bieber’s *Faith* World Tour is set to be a monumental event, with performances that will resonate with fans across the globe.

“Contact us today for more details and availability!”

Such scams are not uncommon in the touring business, with fraudsters posing as the representatives of major artists including Radiohead, Adele, Ariana Grande, System of a Down, Beyoncé, Mark Knopfler and Eminem in the past, emailing concert promoters and asking for deposits in exchange for non-existent live dates.

Elsewhere, the leader of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme in the US involving bogus music concerts was jailed for almost five years last month.

The UK’s Entertainment Agents’ Association previously issued a checklist, urging promoters to adopt the following steps if unsure of an agent’s identity:

1. Check the email address is correct – in particular the email domain – and if in any doubt call the agency to confirm it. Do not use the telephone number on the email
2. Check the artist’s website for any conflicting touring plans
3. Make sure you have full contact details of the agent with which you are working and speak to them on the phone at least once
4. Before sending a deposit, call the agency to confirm the booking and check their account details
5. Check with promoters in other markets to verify the artist is touring in that region at that time
6. If an offer is accepted and seems too good to be true, it probably is

 


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Conman jailed for near $3m bogus concert scheme

The leader of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme in the US involving bogus music concerts has been jailed for almost five years.

Terronce Morris, 42, was sentenced to 57 months in a federal prison after admitting conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft charges.

Morris and co-defendant Blake Kelly, 37, initially conned a promoter “who specialised in producing music festivals in large venues” out of $1.35 million between December 2019 and March 2020, under the pretence of financing a non-existent music festival in San Antonio, Texas, which they claimed would be headlined by Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Billie Eilish.

The Miami Herald reports that Morris posed as a Texas music producer, while Kelly, who worked in the music business in Los Angeles, claimed to be “intimate friends” with Bieber and could secure the Canadian “to headline and perform at a live musical concert series in 2020”.

The duo, who admitted the offences earlier this year, were charged in Miami because much of the communication happened while the victim was visiting South Florida.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, Morris and Kelly – who was sentenced to 13 months in prison on 13 March for his part in the scam – forged the artists’ signatures to create “several false and fraudulent” performance contracts.

Prosecutors say the total fraud loss from the scheme was close to $3 million

Additionally, they had an accomplice pose as Bieber during a video call to trick the victim into believing the singer had agreed to perform.

Court documents say that Morris continued his scheme despite receiving several cease and desist letters from lawyers for the music artists, using bogus contracts to swindle another victim out of $500,000 in October 2020 and a further $250,000 the following month.

Post his arrest, Morris stole an additional $850,000 from two more victims. In November 2021, he received a $350,000 cheque in Bieber’s name, claiming he represented the singer and the sum was to procure his performance on a livestreaming event during the pandemic. In December of that year, he opened a bank account in Texas, using the personal identifying information of a victim who shares the same name as Bieber.

As recently as December 2023, Morris met one of his victims while free on bond and promised him the Bieber concert would proceed “someday in the near future”.

Prosecutors say the total fraud loss from the scheme was close to $3m, with Morris and Kelly using the money to “enrich themselves and finance a lavish lifestyle for themselves and their accomplices”, spending it on travelling, luxury goods and services, and dining at high-priced restaurants.

 


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Two men face jail over $1.35m concert fraud

Two scammers face up to 20 years in prison after admitting a $1.35 million (€1.25m) fraud over a fake concert scheme in the US.

Terronce Morris, 41, of Missouri City, Texas, and Blake Kelly, 36, of Los Angeles, California, swindled a promoter out of $1.35m between December 2019 and March 2020, under the pretence of financing a music festival purportedly featuring acts such as Justin Bieber, Post Malone and Billie Eilish.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, the pair instead used the money to “enrich themselves and finance a lavish lifestyle for themselves and their accomplices”, spending it on travelling, luxury goods and services, and dining at high-priced restaurants.

Morris and Kelly forged the artists’ signatures to create “several false and fraudulent” performance contracts. Additionally, they had an accomplice pose as Bieber during a video call to trick the victim into believing the singer had agreed to perform at the festival in Texas.

Morris and Kelly pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft

The victim subsequently sent three wire transfers to Morris and also mailed him a $200,000 cheque made payable to Bieber, which Morris then deposited into his own personal account.

Morris and Kelly pleaded guilty to mail fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in Miami federal court. The Miami Herald reports the pair were charged in Miami because much of the communication happened while the victim was visiting South Florida.

Morris and Kelly, who will be sentenced in May and March, respectively, face up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, as well an additional two years in jail for identity theft.

 


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Justin Bieber postpones remaining Justice tour dates

Justin Bieber has postponed the remaining dates of his ‘Justice’ world tour due to ongoing health issues.

The singer recently returned to touring after overcoming his battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which for weeks left the entire right side of his face paralysed and forced him to postpone a number of North America tour dates.

Yesterday (6 September), Bieber issued a statement through TMZ which has been confirmed by Variety, stating that he needed to take a break from performing “to make my health the priority right now”.

“Earlier this year, I went public about my battle with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, where my face was partly paralysed. As the result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North America leg of the Justice Tour,” he wrote.

“After resting and consulting with my doctors, family and team, I went to Europe in an effort to continue with the tour. I performed six live shows, but it took a real toll on me. This past weekend, I performed at Rock In Rio and I gave everything I have to the people in Brazil.

“I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better”

“After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realised I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be ok, but I need time to rest and get better. I’ve been so proud to bring this show and our message of Justice to the world. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout all of this! I love you all passionately.”

The tour has an additional 70 concerts scheduled from now until March 2023, with legs in South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Speaking to IQ earlier this summer, AEG Presents promoter Simon Jones said ticket sales for the 130-date world tour had surpassed 1.5 million outside North America.

The Justice run is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s Purpose world tour, which grossed $257 million, attracting 2,805,481 fans across 141 shows, according to Pollstar.

 


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Bieber postpones concerts due to medical condition

Justin Bieber has postponed a series of North American tour dates after being diagnosed with a rare medical condition.

The 28-year-old Canadian singer took to Instagram to reveal he was being treated for Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which had resulted in complete paralysis of the right side of his face.

Bieber updated fans on the social platform today, saying “each day has gotten better”.

His 2022/23 Justice global tour, which launched at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena in February, is due to cover six continents, with additional shows recently announced in Dubai, Bahrain, Sydney, New Delhi, Manila, Amsterdam, London and Dublin.

Ticket sales for the 130-date world tour have surpassed 1.5m outside North America

Last week’s dates at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, have been pulled for the time being, along with one night at Washington DC’s Capitol One Arena and two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The tour is currently scheduled to land in Europe next month with a stop at Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival before continuing on to Scandinavia for shows in August. Bieber then heads to South America, South Africa and the Middle East in September and October, closing out the year in Asia, Australia and New Zealand before moving to the UK in early 2023.

Speaking to IQ earlier this month, AEG Presents promoter Simon Jones said ticket sales for the 130-date world tour had surpassed 1.5 million outside North America.

The Justice run is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s Purpose world tour, which grossed $257 million, attracting 2,805,481 fans across 141 shows, according to Pollstar.

 


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AEG’s Simon Jones talks Bieber tour, ’22 prospects

Ticket sales for Justin Bieber’s 130-date Justice world tour have now reached 1.5 million outside North America, according to Simon Jones of promoter AEG Presents.

The 2022/23 global trek, which launched at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena in February, will cover six continents, with additional shows recently announced in Dubai, Bahrain, Sydney, New Delhi, Manila, Amsterdam, London and Dublin.

“We’ve gradually added additional regions over the past six months, and have now added every city that will be included,” Jones tells IQ. “It’s quite the juggernaut covering a lot of ground. I think you can safely say that Justin is one of the top global touring artists in the world.”

The biggest worldwide tour since the Covid shutdown lands in Europe next month with a stop at Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival before continuing on to Scandinavia for shows in August. Bieber then heads to South America, South Africa and the Middle East in September and October, closing out the year in Asia, Australia and New Zealand before moving to the UK in early 2023.

“The most challenging part has been traversing the very slow and gradual opening up of markets in Asia”

“Other than the ridiculous challenge of venue availability in major markets, the most challenging part has been traversing the very slow and gradual opening up of markets in Asia,” explains Jones, who was named Promoters’ Promoter at the recent Arthur Awards.

“[AEG Asia Pacific chief] Adam Wilkes and I, and our Asia team have spent many hundreds of hours planning the roll out of the recently launched Asia leg together. The appetite for Justin in that region has been frankly incredible, and we’ve mostly been capitalising on each countries ‘freedom day’ so to speak, so it has been a slow roll out, and thankfully we’re working with a very flexible artist team to help us do that.”

The Justice run is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s Purpose world tour, which grossed $257 million, attracting 2,805,481 fans across 141 shows, according to Pollstar. Pre-pandemic, he had been due to tour in 2020 and launched his Changes album with a one-off fan event at the 2,800-cap Indigo at The O2 in London that February.

“The underplay acoustic show that we did in London for the launch of Changes, just before the pandemic hit, showed him to be in a great place: energised and eager to get into the campaign until the breaks were firmly put on for obvious reasons.

“It’s quite amazing to think that that was actually the only live show for the whole Changes campaign. But seeing this Justice tour play out, it’s incredible how much he is at the top of his game right now.”

“It’s no longer the parents buying their kids the majority of the tickets”

AEG’s SVP of international touring, Jones has worked with Bieber since 2015 and points out the 28-year-old Canadian’s audience base has broadened significantly over the years.

“It’s no longer the parents buying their kids the majority of the tickets,” he notes. “You could see that during Purpose that the songs he was releasing were reaching a mass audience. He’s taken those fans with him for his latest two records, and the mass appeal for his latest record will bring with it a slightly older crowd, but the consistent rate that he releases global smash songs reach new fans all the time, including new young fans too.”

While Bieber’s touring career continues to go from strength to strength, Jones admits to concerns over the market as a whole – particularly with regards to acts lower down the food chain.

“Cost of living rises will hit live music as it has every other area, so we are likely to see an increase in ticket prices”

“We have some headaches and challenges to deal with for sure,” he says. “The huge amount of choice out there this year and next, the saturation rate is hitting a point where something will have to give – everyone will need to work harder to make sure we do the business that’s required and fans will want more value for money from shows than ever before.

“Cost of living rises will hit live music as it has every other area, so we are likely to see an increase in ticket prices. That will manifest itself by people becoming much choosier on who they spend their hard earned cash on, so maybe they’ll go to less shows on an average year, but they’ll likely spend more money per head at each show on the bar, merch, etc, as it may subconsciously be their big night out that they plan further ahead for.”

He concludes: “One thing’s for sure, that for the right artist, whether it be AAA*-level artists, for brand new red hot acts, and for the perfectly timed nostalgic plays; the business is still there, and alive and kicking. But extra care and thought from promoters, agents and managers needs to put into all other levels of artists, as nothing can be assumed or expected, or taken for granted, as it’s a very unpredictable landscape at the moment.”

 


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Bieber stadium gig confirmed as Malaysia opens up

Justin Bieber has confirmed his first concert in Malaysia in a decade as the country prepares to reopen its international borders on 1 April.

The singer will appear at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 22 October as part of a newly announced leg of his Justice World Tour.

The venue, which is situated to the south of Kuala Lumpur, has previously welcomed artists such as Ed Sheeran, Linkin Park, Paramore, Kelly Clarkson and Usher.

Malaysia’s prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced earlier this month that quarantine-free travel and tourism would be allowed as part of a “transition phase” towards treating Covid-19 as endemic.

“it’s such a surreal feeling that we are able to make this announcement today, after a two-year pause”

“It’s such a surreal feeling that we are able to make this announcement today, after a two-year pause,” says Para R, MD of promoter PR Worldwide. “We are proud to bring the highly anticipated Justice World Tour to Malaysian fans this October.”

The tour is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s Purpose world tour, which grossed $257 million, attracting 2,805,481 fans across 141 shows, according to Pollstar. Tickets for his return to Malaysia are priced between RM288 (€62) and RM1,088 (€234) and go on sale 31 March.

Bieber last performed in the country for an MTV World Stage event held at Sunway Lagoon, Kuala Lumpur in 2012. The Canadian singer will tour five continents from May 2022 to March 2023, travelling to over 20 countries for more than 90 dates. He has also added a 3 November date in Jakarta, Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium.

PR Worldwide partnered with Live Nation in 2019 and has worked on tours and shows by acts including Bruno Mars, Lewis Capaldi, Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey, Imagine Dragons and Shawn Mendes.

 


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Lucca Summer Festival gears up for 2022 comeback

Promoters of Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival (LSF) have spoken to IQ about the return of the star-studded concert series.

Justin Bieber became the latest headliner to be confirmed for the month-long LSF in Tuscany earlier this week. The Canadian singer will perform a 40,000-cap show in the Mura Storiche area, next to the Lucca City Walls, on 31 July. He joins a 2022 line-up already featuring Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets (25 June), Liam Gallagher + Kasabian (6 July), John Legend (9 July) and Robert Plant + Alison Krauss (14 July), with Celine Dion confirmed for 15 July next year.

With the 2020 and 2021 festivals falling victim to the pandemic, Enrico D’Alessandro of event promoter D’Alessandro e Galli (Di and Gi) tells IQ he is looking forward to making up for lost time.

“Since we work mostly with international artists, it was very difficult for us to do even the smaller gigs, so we remained totally still for a couple of years,” he says. “Last year, there were limits on capacity – events were only permitted up to 1,000 people, which was too low for us to work. We thought about putting on a special edition, with a smaller capacity, but it didn’t feel right, so we preferred to wait.

“Now we’re excited to go back promoting live music, but we’re excited for the audience as well, because we know that these upcoming events will have a different flavour, it will be like a rebirth in some ways.”

A number of the headline acts for LSF 2022, which will also utilise a second, 8,000-cap venue, had been booked to play two years ago. But organisers were forced to admit defeat in their bid to reschedule a Paul McCartney show, originally slated for June 2020.

“That was a dream we had chased for so many years and we were very close, but unfortunately we had to face the reality of the situation,” sighs D’Alessandro. “We were able to save some of those shows, but it really hurts to to have lost McCartney.”

“We’re trying to expand the festival to a younger audience”

The addition of Bieber signals a change in tack for the festival, which has welcomed the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, Roger Waters, Stevie Wonder and Ennio Morricone since launching in 1998.

“At the beginning, it was hard to convince artists to choose a small little city in Tuscany over major cities. But now, thank God, sometimes the agent and the artists even ask us to play because word has spread,” says D’Alessandro. “Lucca has always had an adult audience, so we try to book the biggest music legends and give the audience the opportunity to enjoy big artists, who you would normally see in stadiums or arenas, in this tiny square in the heart of Tuscany, surrounded by trees.

“We like to keep this flavour for the festival because we know that the foreign audience loved it. There were cases when the foreign audience was the majority of the audience – with Tom Jones and Van Morrison, more than 50% of the audience came from abroad.

“This year, we’re going to satisfy that kind of audience with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, John Legend or Nick Mason, but we’re trying to expand the festival to a younger audience. That is something we’d started doing in the past – we had Imagine Dragons, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age. Bieber is probably the biggest around in that specific [youth] market, and we are excited to be chosen among the very few festivals he is playing this summer. For us, it’s a privilege, and we are excited to welcome audience members from every part of Europe.”

He adds: “Also, to celebrate the comeback of live shows, we wanted to have more domestic artists than usual, so we’re going to do six or seven shows with the biggest domestic artists around.”

The LSF team has also announced the launch of new 10,000-cap Tuscany festival La Prima Estate, which will run from 21-26 June. Located just 50 metres from the sea in Bussola Domani Park in Lido Di Camaiore, Versilia, it will host four international artists each night. Headline acts include The National, Duran Duran, Bonobo, Courtney Barnett, Jungle and Mura Masa.

With Italian prime minister Mario Draghi announcing the country will exit its state of emergency on 31 March, D’Alessandro is filled with hope about the forthcoming season.

“We should have full capacity for open air events instantly, so we are very confident that this summer will look like 2019 – at least for open air events,” he says. “We don’t know yet if the green [vaccine] pass will be needed. It looks like it will be needed until mid June but we don’t have certainty on that yet. Of course, we understand that indoor events are the ones at bigger risk, but let’s hope we won’t have any bad variants and the situation will stay under control.”

 


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Justin Bieber tour nears one million ticket sales

AEG Presents has revealed Justin Bieber’s 2022/23 Justice world tour is on track to sell more than one million tickets.

The Canadian singer will tour five continents from May 2022 to March 2023, travelling to over 20 countries for more than 90 dates, with extra shows to be announced in Japan, Asia and the Middle East.

A total of 875,000 tickets have been sold since last month’s tour announcement. Thirty-one of the newly announced shows sold out on the morning of the on-sale, with additional nights added in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Mexico City.

To see how fast the tickets are flying out the door is testament to his status as one of the world’s biggest live music draws

“Justin’s return to the international stage is going to be a juggernaut of a run, and to see how fast the tickets are flying out the door is testament to his status as one of the world’s biggest live music draws,” says Simon Jones, SVP, international touring of promoter AEG Presents. “His Justice world tour is expanding further, and is going to comfortably smash through the million ticket mark once we announce the remaining territories.”

The new dates also come on the heels of Bieber’s recently announced 52-date 2022 North American tour, which kicks off in San Diego on February 18.

The tour is Bieber’s first global outing since 2016/2017’s Purpose world tour, which grossed $257 million, attracting 2,805,481 fans across 141 shows, according to Pollstar.

Bieber also headlined Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard at The O2 in London on Saturday (11 December).

 


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Justin Bieber partners with Wave on virtual experience

Global superstar Justin Bieber is partnering with virtual concert company Wave for an ‘interactive virtual experience’ in the metaverse.

Wave’s technology will allow Bieber to transform into a digital avatar (pictured) and perform songs from his chart-topping album Justice for the first time in the metaverse.

According to a statement, the show will give fans a “futuristic look into the metaverse, merging gaming, real-time motion-capture, and live musical performance into an immersive interactive experience”.

Fans will also have a chance to appear live on stage alongside Bieber during dedicated fan moments, and influence his performance and environments in real-time.

“Justin is paving the way for artists to incorporate a virtual ‘tour stop’ to reach audiences who can’t attend in-person”

“Justin Bieber is not only one of the world’s biggest artists, he is also one of the most forward-thinking. This partnership allows for limitless, virtual opportunities for him and his fans,” says Adam Arrigo, CEO of Wave.

“By combining Wave’s technology with Justin’s creativity, we’ve created a unique, interactive experience that complements his upcoming physical tour. Justin is paving the way for artists to incorporate a virtual concert ‘tour stop’ to reach new audiences who can’t attend in-person or want a different kind of live music experience.”

Wave has hosted virtual experiences for blockbuster artists such as The Weeknd, John Legend, Dillon Francis, Tinashe and more.

Fans can sign up on wave.watch to experience the ‘Justin Bieber – An Interactive Virtual Experience’ for free on 18 November at 18:00 PT/21:00 ET. Rebroadcasts will follow on 20 and 21 November for audiences worldwide.

In other metaverse-related news, Roblox has today announced the first virtual concert fully designed by community developers.

Burgeoning US star Tai Verdes will appear in avatar form to perform in a virtual venue designed by Roblox studio, Melon – a mainstay developer on the platform responsible for previous launch parties for the likes of Ava Max, Why Don’t We, Zara Larsson, and KSI.

Unlike previous Roblox launch party venues where artists appeared on a video screen, Verdes will appear in his avatar form and perform from his Venice Beach-inspired boardwalk on Roblox.

The exclusive space, which is open today, features the “latest technological advancements available to developers” and will showcase a live Q&A with Verdes after the first concert performance on Saturday morning.

“Roblox has always been about empowering our developer community to build next-generation experiences”

“Tai Verdes is at the top of his game right now and we are thrilled he’s performing his new single on Roblox,” says Jon Vlassopulos, Vice President and Global Head of Music for Roblox.

“Roblox has always been about empowering our developer community to build next-generation experiences on the platform for the global community to enjoy.”

Roblox has previously hosted virtual events for Lil Nas X, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots, KSI and Electric Daisy Carnival.

​​The Tai Verdes Concert Experience is set to premiere this Saturday (13 November) at 11:00 PT exclusively on the Roblox platform and the show will repeat each hour through Sunday 14 November at 23:00 PT.

 


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