Decibel and Docket

On this episode of the Decibel & Docket podcast, entertainment journalist Dave Brooks (founder of decibel.news) and entertainment attorney Michael Seville cover Hollywood power, AI copyright litigation, and the latest turn in the Live Nation–Ticketmaster antitrust case. The episode opens with Endeavor and WME chief Ari Emanuel's new book, Roll the Calls . Dave explains the Hollywood practice o...

The centerpiece of this episode is Dave's interview with Spencer Weber Waller, an antitrust professor at Loyola University Chicago, former Justice Department prosecutor, and author of Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage , out October 15 from Bloomsbury's Methuen Drama imprint. Waller says the book began during COVID, when his wife, who works on the busin...

Entertainment journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville launch their new show, Decibel & Docket , with a wide-ranging conversation that moves from true-crime pop culture to a deep dive on one of the most under-covered stories in American sports: the rise of private equity in youth athletics. Before the main topic, Dave and Michael react to the trailer for Nathan Fielder...

Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville are back with another episode of Decibel & Docket, diving into one of the wildest scam stories of the year before turning their attention to the ticket resale fight engulfing this year's US Open. Dave and Mike open by unpacking the bizarre case of Dejon Love, a 35-year-old man who spent over four years posing as a San Francisco 49ers w...

On Episode 32 of Decibel & Docket, Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville examine the collision of music, power, politics and representation—from the life and legacy of Dolly Parton to Donald Trump’s reported intervention in the government’s antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The episode begins with a heartfelt remembrance of Dolly Parton, who died at age 80 following a bri...

Did California Attorney General Rob Bonta help kill a ticket reform bill to protect the government’s antitrust victory over Live Nation and Ticketmaster? And did Ellie Goulding spend years paying managers who were secretly owned by the same concert giant they were supposed to negotiate against? On Episode 31 of Decibel & Docket, veteran music journalist Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville...

Not all music towns are built the same. While some cities have great music venues and timeless festivals, others are often overlooked are shut out by radius clauses and contract exemptions that suffocate music scenes. On this special episode of Decibel and Docket, Mike and Dave break down the worst live music markets on the planet, both domestically and internationally and break down why some town...

What happens when an artificial intelligence system is told to complete a task—and decides the easiest path is to break the rules? In Episode 29 of Decibel & Docket , veteran entertainment journalist Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville open with the strange and unsettling story involving OpenAI and Hugging Face. During a security evaluation, an AI model reportedly discovered a vulnerabili...

Snitches get stitches but what about deponents? A new development in the unsolved killing of Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler raises major questions about the relationship between civil litigation and criminal investigations—and what sworn testimony uncovered years after a murder can mean for a possible prosecution. In this episode of Decibel & Docket , entertainment journalist Dave Brooks...

StubHub is facing one of the toughest stretches in its history—and this week, Decibel & Docket breaks down why. Veteran music business journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville are joined by entrepreneur and activist Randy Nichols to examine the latest controversy surrounding StubHub and CEO Eric Baker , following new reporting that has intensified scrutiny of the ticke...

In this explosive episode of Decibel & Docket, Dave Brooks is joined by ticketing reform advocate Randy Nichols for a deep dive into one of the live entertainment industry’s most contentious battles: the war over ticket resale, speculative listings, and the powerful lobbying machine fighting to preserve the status quo. The episode opens with a candid—and often hilarious—conversation about the...

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 Mi...

In Episode 23 of Decibel & Docket , veteran music business journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville break down two major stories shaping the intersection of the music industry, antitrust law, and entertainment litigation . Once again the show turns to one of the most fascinating legal developments in the live entertainment business: the surprising fee arrangement behin...

Who killed the artist testimony in the Live Nation antitrust trial? In Episode 22 of the Decibel & Docket podcast, veteran music business journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville break down a rare, candid conversation with the former DOJ lawyers who tried USA v. Live Nation — and what their comments reveal about the Ticketmaster divestiture fight, the remedies phase, a...

What happens after one of the biggest antitrust losses in music industry history? Is Live Nation buying time—or mounting a serious comeback? This week on Decibel & Docket , Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville break down the latest twist in the landmark Live Nation antitrust case, where a federal judge has hit pause on a key phase of the proceedings. The ruling could reshape the timeline o...

In Episode 20 of Decibel & Docket , veteran music journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville break down one of the wildest weeks yet at the intersection of the music business, live entertainment, politics and the legal system. The episode opens with a deep dive into the return of “blue dot fever” in the touring industry as several major artists — including The Smashing P...

The latest episode of the Decibel and Docket podcast dives deep into the escalating legal and political battle surrounding Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster, the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust case, and the increasingly volatile intersection of live music, politics, ticketing, and sports. Veteran music journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville unpack one of the...

In this episode of the Decibel and Docket podcast, veteran music business journalist Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Seville tackle two of the most controversial issues shaping the live entertainment industry today: the future of Live Nation and Ticketmaster amid ongoing antitrust litigation, and the growing debate over the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal prosecutions. The episode also...

The latest episode of the Decibel & Docket Podcast dives deep into the biggest stories shaping the live entertainment business, music industry economics, AI copyright battles, concert ticket pricing, influencer culture, and the future of streaming platforms. Hosted by veteran music journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville, this episode blends sharp industry analysis, l...

In this in-depth episode of the Decibel & Docket Podcast , veteran music journalist Dave Brooks and entertainment attorney Michael Seville break down one of the most consequential moments in the modern concert industry: the jury verdict finding Live Nation liable for monopolistic practices. With the trial phase complete, the conversation shifts into what may be an even more critical stage—the...

Decibel & Docket Podcast: Live Nation Verdict, Antitrust Showdown & Coachella’s Legal Playbook In this episode of Decibel & Docket , host Dave Brooks delivers a deep dive into one of the most important legal battles shaping the modern live entertainment industry: the antitrust case against Live Nation and Ticketmaster. With expert commentary and insider insights, this episode unpacks t...

The latest episode of the Decibel & Docket podcast delivers a deep dive into one of the most consequential moments in the live music industry: the blockbuster Live Nation antitrust verdict and its ripple effects across ticketing, touring, and fan experience. Hosted by Dave Brooks, the episode features insights from music manager Randy Nichols and ticketing expert Scott Friedman. The headline s...

The episode opens with a sharp, unfiltered discussion of Kanye West’s attempted comeback and the controversy surrounding it. Rather than accepting a simple apology tour, Brooks argues that real accountability would require Kanye to publicly disavow the figures and communities that have supported his most inflammatory rhetoric. The hosts — music industry insider Dave Brooks and attorney Michael Sev...

Entrepreneur and technologist Andrew Dreskin sits down with the Decibel and Docket podcast to share his unique perspective of the live events business. Dreskin built the world's first online ticketing company, then waited a decade and built an even better one. Now, after selling to Pandora in 2015, pivoting with the pandemic and watching the industry evolve post-COVID, he's quietly incubat...

This podcast episode of the Decibel and Docket focuses on the Live Nation antitrust trial, featuring interviews with Nathaniel Morrow from the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) and Andrew Dreskin, founder of Ticketfly and TicketWeb. Dave Brooks hosts this solo episode while co-host Mike Seville prepares for trial . The episode includes shortened versions of conversations with both gu...