Rapino in the White House: Did Trump Meeting Hurt Live Nation's Settlement Talks + Ticket Fraud Rising on Stubhub for World Cup Fans

This week on Decibel & Docket, veteran concert business reporter Dave Brooks speaks with Business Insider's Emily Stewart about an uptick in fraud at the World Cup. But first, Brooks and attorney Michael Seville dig into the most explosive filing yet in the Live Nation/Ticketmaster antitrust case as well as the bizarre criminal case against Memphis drill rapper Pooh Shiesty.First, Dave and Mike break down Live Nation's newly filed Tunney Act disclosure, the legally required list of every communication between the company and federal officials during its antitrust settlement talks with the DOJ. The filing reveals a sprawling lobbying and legal operation, with elite firms including Sullivan & Cromwell, Latham & Watkins, and Sidley Austin running point with the DOJ's Antitrust Division, the Attorney General's office, and the Deputy Attorney General. Names in the disclosure raise eyebrows, including Kellyanne Conway listed as a paid consultant and Richard Grenell named as a Live Nation director. The most striking detail: Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino had a direct conversation with President Trump in February 2026 in which the DOJ lawsuit reportedly came up. Dave and Mike unpack what the disclosure means for the federal judge reviewing the settlement and whether it invites deeper scrutiny of how the deal came together.Next, the hosts turn to the increasingly dramatic case of Pooh Shiesty (Lontrell Williams Jr.), the Memphis rapper accused of orchestrating an armed robbery and forced contract release targeting his mentor and label boss, Gucci Mane. Prosecutors allege that while on federal home confinement from a prior gun case, Pooh Shiesty lured Gucci Mane to a Dallas studio, pulled a gun, forced him to sign away his record contract on camera, and robbed him and others of roughly half a million dollars in cash and jewelry. Dave and Mike walk through a newly filed 25-page government response opposing bail, which alleges Pooh Shiesty's father printed the fraudulent release contract hours before the meeting and that a Bureau of Prisons-contracted monitor was allegedly bribed to falsify home confinement passes. The two dissect the severability clause buried in the forced contract, debate whether it could protect an agreement signed under duress (short answer: no), and explain what a "de novo" bail review actually means. Seville walks through why prosecutors argue both danger-to-community and flight-risk standards, why the kidnapping charge's interstate-commerce jurisdictional argument is a long shot, and how the alleged corruption of his own home confinement monitor could sink Pooh Shiesty's chance at pretrial release.In the back half, Dave welcomes Business Insider reporter Emily Stewart to discuss her reporting on World Cup ticket failures. Stewart explains how fans who bought tickets months in advance through secondary marketplaces like StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats are getting last-minute notices that their tickets can't be delivered, often just days before kickoff, after already booking flights and hotels. She unpacks speculative ticketing, where resellers list tickets they don't actually possess and bet on acquiring them before the event, and the telltale signs fans should watch for. Stewart also connects the dots to a related Ticketmaster antitrust controversy, where SeatGeek lost a primary ticketing contract with Brooklyn's Barclays Center after Bruce Springsteen's team objected to speculative listings. The conversation covers what resale platforms' "fan guarantee" policies actually promise, and what World Cup ticket holders can do now to protect themselves.Decibel & Docket is the podcast at the intersection of the music business, live entertainment, and the justice system, hosted by journalist Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville.