In this week's Legal Beat newsletter, tax headaches for touring artists, a proposal to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster, a Peanuts music battle and much more.
Shakira performs on stage at Copacabana beach on May 02, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Buda Mendes/Getty Images
THE BIG STORY: Nobody likes filing their taxes. But for globe-trotting music stars on cross-border tours, it’s an even bigger problem — and one that can lead to massive legal headaches.
Case in point: In a ruling last week, a Spanish court acquitted Colombian superstar Shakira of tax fraud and ordered the return of 60 million euros ($69 million) that had been levied for the 2011 income tax year. Spain claimed she was a legal resident, but she proved that she had spent just 163 days in the country between stops on her Sale el Sol world tour.
