US: Judge sides with Coachella, dismisses antitrust suit

Coachella’s requirement that bands appearing at its southern California music festival skip other festivals and forego promotion of any west coast show for nearly five months surrounding the April festival is not anticompetitive, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Oregon promoters against Goldenvoice, ending the year-long battle over the California festival’s radius clause that prevented artists performing at the 125,000-person, two-weekend event from playing other festivals for months at a time.

After hearing oral arguments in his Oregon courtroom, US District Court Judge Michael Mosman sided with Goldenvoice’s attorneys and dismissed the year-old lawsuit with prejudice, preventing Soul’d Out Music Festival founders Nicholas Harris and Haytham Abdulhadi from refiling their suit.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision today to dismiss the lawsuit challenging the agreements between Coachella and artists,” Shawn Trell, general counsel and chief operating officer for Goldenvoice and AEG Presents told Billboard. “Coachella is focused on providing an incredible festival experience for both fans and artists, and looks forward to another special event next month.”