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Coldplay Countersues Ex-Manager Over 'Unjustifiably Expensive' Tour Costs—What To Know About The Band's Legal Battles

Topline

Coldplay, the Grammy Award-winning band behind chart toppers "Viva La Vida" and "My Universe," has countersued its longtime manager for $17 million, alleging he abused his position to borrow tens of millions of dollars for personal use and allowed costs for the band's tour to grow out of control—claims the manager denied, as he sues Coldplay for missed payments in an escalating legal spat.

Chris Martin of Coldplay performs on stage at Wembley Stadium during the Music of the Spheres world ... [+] tour on August 12, 2022 in London, England.

Getty Images Key Facts

In a new U.K. High Court lawsuit obtained by The Times, Coldplay has sued its manager of 22 years, Dave Holmes, for $17 million (£14 million) in damages after claiming he took out $30 million in loans from promotion company Live Nation to fund a personal development venture and failed to "supervise and control" the budget for the band's ongoing world tour.

Holmes is accused of leveraging Coldplay's long standing relationship with Live Nation to take out low-interest loans that had nothing to do with the band, which could have impacted his ability to negotiate favorable terms for the promotion and ticket sales of the Music of The Spheres tour, according to The Times.

The suit also alleges Holmes mismanaged the 165-stop tour to the tune of millions of dollars, including the commissioning of $13 million in lighting and video pylons that were "unjustifiably expensive to even use" and spending $9.7 million on a screen that was built so big it could be used for only 10 concerts.

Coldplay's countersuit comes just months after Holmes sued the band for $12 million (£10 million) in commission for two albums.

Holmes in August accused Coldplay of backing out of a promise that would have given him a commission for its unreleased next two albums (its tenth and eleventh) and asked the High Court in London to order payment of the outstanding amount.

A spokesperson for Dave Holmes said in a statement: "Coldplay knows they're in trouble with their defense. Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand: Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honor it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him."

Murray Chalmers PR, Coldplay's publicist, did not respond to Forbes' request for comment Monday.

Live Nation said in a statement to The Times "any past dealings with (Coldplay's) management team were considered an extension" of the company's "strong and long standing relationship" with the band.

(L-R) Coldplay Manager Dave Holmes, GRAMMY Awards Producer Ken Ehrlich, GRAMMY Foundation Vice ... [+] President Dana Tomarken, musicians Will Champion, Jonny Buckland, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and The GRAMMY Foundation Neil Portnow, musicians Guy Berryman, Chris Martin, GRAMMY Foundation Senior Vice President Kristen Madsen and GRAMMY Foundation Vice President Scott Goldman in 2011.

getty Big Number

Between 8% and 13%. That's how much Holmes made on commission of Coldplay's eighth and ninth albums, his lawsuit said.

Key Background

Coldplay and Holmes separated after 22 years of management last year when their last contract expired, a representative told Forbes last month, though it is unclear exactly what caused the rift between them. The band "vigorously disputed" the claims that it did not pay Holmes what he was owed. Coldplay earned $65.4 million from just 11 shows that were part of their Music of the Spheres tour, Billboard reported, which started in 2022 and will take the band to Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The 2015-2017 A Head Full Of Dreams tour grossed more than half a billion dollars through its five-continent run, making it the seventh highest-grossing tour of all time.

Tangent

The Music of the Spheres tour is the first for Coldplay since its release of the 2019 album Everyday Life, and frontman Chris Martin at the time said his band would not tour again until it could ensure its shows were environmentally friendly. The Music of the Spheres tour promises to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50% compared to the A Head Full of Dreams tour by taking steps that include the use of biodegradable confetti, a sound system that uses half the power of traditional systems and a tree planted for every ticket sold.

Coldplay Countersue Ex-Manager, Claiming He Let Tour Costs Rise Out Of Control

Coldplay fired back at their former manager, Dave Holmes, accusing him of allowing touring costs to get out of hand and taking out massive loans from Live Nation without the band's knowledge.

Last Friday, as NME reports (via The Times), the band filed a counter-claim in London's High Court, responding to a lawsuit Holmes originally filed last month. Holmes — who split with Coldplay after 20 years back in August — originally sued the band last month for about $12 million in unpaid commission. Holmes accused Coldplay of backing out of a promised contract regarding their next two albums, and of trying to demote him from manager to head of touring.

In response, Coldplay claimed Holmes owed them £14 million (about $17 million) in damages, blaming him for a variety of mistakes that cost the band millions during their tour in support of their last album, Music Of the Spheres. The group alleged that before the start of the tour, costs "escalated rapidly,"and Holmes "fail[ed] adequately to supervise and control the tour budget at all times," ultimately costing the band a reported extra £17.5 million (about $21 million).

The band said issues included the purchase of allegedly unsuitable equipment, like "16 bespoke stage pylons" for about $11 million. There was also a "visual project known as Jet Screen" that Holmes allegedly signed off on for about $9.7 million. Dimensions given to the manufacturer for the Jet Screen project were, however, incorrect, and Coldplay was apparently only able to use the oversized screen during 10 shows in Buenos Aires.

Additionally, Coldplay said Holmes used his relationship with the band to secure two massive loans from Live Nation. The first was for about $20 million in 2015, the second for about $10 million in 2018 (both had an interest rate of 2.72 percent a year). The band claimed Holmes used this money "to fund a property development venture" in Vancouver, which they called "profitable."

Coldplay Sues Ex-manager For Tour Mismanagement Including 'not Opening Shared Dropbox' For Almost Two Years

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Coldplay has filed a multi-million pound lawsuit against their former longtime manager Dave Holmes alleging tour mismanagement – just weeks after he sued the band for £10m in "unpaid commission".

In August, Holmes – who managed the band from 2005 until 2022 – initiated proceedings against lead singer Chris Martin, drummer Will Champion, bassist Guy Berryman, and guitarist Jonny Buckland.

He claimed he was owed £10m in commission for his work relating to Coldplay's as-yet-unreleased 10th and 11th studio albums.

Denying Holmes' claim, the British rock band counter-sued their ex-manager last week, alleging significant losses incurred due to his mismanagement of their Music of the Spheres tour. Coldplay is seeking £14m in damages.

According to court documents obtained by The Times, Holmes owed millions of dollars in debt to Live Nation – the American entertainment company that promotes the band's tours – while he was negotiating terms for their Music of the Spheres tour in 2021.

"That would potentially or actually conflict with his obligations to secure best possible terms for [Coldplay]," the band's lawsuit read, adding the $30m-loan was used to fund a property development venture in Canada "to the best of [our] knowledge".

Further, Coldplay alleged Holmes "failed adequately to supervise and control" the budget of the 165-stop tour, with the band forced to cover costs for expensive or ultimately unusable equipment.

Examples include "16 bespoke stage pylons" that cost €10.6m to make – but were never used – as well as a £9.7m-visual projector called the Jet Screen that was allegedly built to the wrong dimensions and could only be used for 10 shows.

In total, Coldplay estimated these sunk costs at around £17.5m.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin

(AP)

Finally, the band said Holmes did not open a shared Dropbox containing art work for the tour "at any time between August 2020 and February 2022".

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Responding to the band's lawsuit, a spokesperson for Holmes told the newspaper: "Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defence. Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand – Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honour it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him".

The Independent has contacted Holmes' representatives for comment.

In his lawsuit, obtained by Billboard, Holmes said he organised recording sessions, samples, and string arrangements for the band's 10th and 11th studio albums, which have not yet been released. He also claimed he is owed commission for advances toward Coldplay's forthcoming albums, including £35m paid by Warner Group-owned Parlophone Records for their 10th record.

Commenting on the lawsuit, Holmes' lawyer Phil Sherrell said: "Dave Holmes successfully managed Coldplay for more than 22 years, steering them to be one of the most successful bands in music history. Now, as the legal case shows, Coldplay is refusing to honor Dave's management contract and pay him what he is owed,"

As per their legal filing, Coldplay denied Holmes' claim "in its entirety", adding that their last contract with his company only covered albums eight (Everyday Life) and nine (Music of the Spheres). The agreement with Holmes was then terminated "following a period of increasing concern regarding Mr Holmes's conduct", the filing read.

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