Coachella issued fine after Justin Bieber set broke golden rule
The promotional outfit behind Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has taken a financial hit after two acts broke a sacred rule.
Unfolding across nine days in total this month - 19 April being its final day of festivities - the immense Californian do welcomed artists such as Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Wet Leg, The xx, and The Strokes onto its various stages, with at least 125,000 attendees enjoying the tunes in the desert sunshine.
However, it's been reported by TMZ that promoter Goldenvoice Productions, which was acquired by Anschutz Entertainment Group in 2001, faces a substantial fine for allowing the fun to continue too late into the night.
On Friday (17 April), DJ Anyma's set lasted until 1.00am local time, costing Coachella a hefty $24k, while Bieber's headline performance also went over the pre-agreed 1.00am curfew by just two minutes.
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That resulted in another penalty ($20k).
LADbible has reached out to Goldenvoice for comment.
The city of Indio will benefit from this unexpected cash injection, with the fines heading straight into a general fund that covers areas like the police and fire services.
Elsewhere on the Coachella beat, The Strokes closed out their set with a message of political protest against the US government.
As the band - consisting of Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti - were wrapping up their rock show, the video screens behind them displayed a montage of world leaders they alleged were overthrown by the CIA.
The band also broadcast footage of more recent conflicts. This included Israel bombing Gaza and the US strikes on Iran, while the band performed 'Oblivius', which hadn't been heard live by any fan for a decade.
Their eventful performance at Coachella also involved enigmatic frontman Casablancas donning a T-shirt emblazoned with a tailored Amazon logo on it.
Instead of 'Prime', which refers to the tech company's universally used service, the top read 'Crime' instead.
The highest-paid Coachella performances of all time
Costing hundreds of millions of dollars to run every year, it should come as no surprise that Coachella pays out the big bucks for its headliners and performers.
Here are some of the most expensive over the years...
Radiohead
Over two decades ago, in 2004, the English rock band headlined Coachella and reportedly made $1 million at the time, which equates to around $1.7 million today.
Eminem
The 'Slim Shady' rapper headlined Coachella in 2018, which saw him bring Dr. Dre on stage with him for a special cameo.
It was widely reported that he made $1 million for his performance.
Lady Gaga
A report by The New Yorker estimates that the 'Bad Romance' singer was paid between $3-4 million for her headlining 'Mayhem in the Desert' performance in 2025.
Lady Gaga got paid between $3-4 million (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella)
Sir Paul McCartney
The Beatles legend was paid around $4 million in 2009 when he headlined the festival, according to 98FM, which equates to roughly $6 million in today's economy.
Prince
Another legend to add to the Coachella archives, the late musician was reportedly paid a cool $5 million when he headlined in 2008, which equates to roughly $7.4 million today.
Prince was paid $5 mil (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)
Ariana Grande
The Wicked star headlined Coachella in 2019, making history for being the youngest female to ever headline.
She was also paid a very pretty penny indeed, with PEOPLE reporting that she made $8 million from her performances over the two weekends.
Ariana was paid $8 million (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AG)
Beyoncé
After headlining in 2018, which saw the festival be nicknamed 'Beychella', the pop icon's pay was disputed at first.
However, Billboard predicted she was paid somewhere between $8 and 12 million, making her one of the festival's most expensive headliners in history.
Topics: Music, Justin Bieber, Money
Dan Seddon