| 1. JANET JACKSON AND 50 CENT TO PERFORM AT CONTROVERSIAL SAUDI ARABIA FESTIVAL: Janet Jackson and rappers 50 Cent and Future are slated to perform at the Jeddah World Fest, taking place July 18 in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, rapper Nicki Minaj dropped out of the event stating her support for gay and women’s rights. The Hollywood Reporter: “The Human Rights Foundation and other organizations have asked artists not to perform in Saudi Arabia, where gender segregation between single men and women is enforced in many restaurants, coffee shops, public schools, and universities. Other rules have loosened in the kingdom with women now allowed to drive and attend events at sports stadiums. … Over the past several months, the kingdom has seen performances by Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, The Black Eyed Peas, Sean Paul, David Guetta, and Tiesto. That is a stark change from when Saudi morality police would raid establishments that played loud music.” 2. SOTHEBY’S IS HOSTING A HIGH-END SNEAKER AUCTION: Sotheby’s, the famed luxury goods and art auction house in New York, is holding its first-ever fancy sneaker auction. The auction is being held in partnership with retail and consignment store Stadium Goods. Vox: “Much as there would be at the start of a special exhibition at an art museum, there is a broad white wall at the front of the room featuring a short typewritten explanation of what is going on, for those who have no idea how they arrived in a space of such cultural weight but would rather die than ask a question that makes them look stupid. … Ben Jacobs, the brand director of Stadium Goods, argues that there’s ‘no mismatch’ between Sotheby’s and sneaker culture.” 3. GOOGLE SUSPENDS PAID ADVERTISEMENTS FROM SECONDARY TICKETING SITE VIAGOGO: Google has banned ticket reseller Viagogo from placing paid advertisements on the search engine. Fans searching for live event tickets on Google will no longer see ads at the top of the page for Viagogo, which has been accused of misleading sales tactics. Billboard: “Google’s ban follows the U.K.’s consumer watchdog agency, the Competition and Market Authority, taking the reseller to court over concerns that Viagogo was breaking consumer protection law. The C.M.A. gave the reseller until mid-January to correct its deceptive practices, but alleged on July 4, ‘although some improvements have been made since we first demanded action to address areas of non-compliance, further checks have shown there are still issues of concern.’ The C.M.A. is now seeking to find Viagogo in contempt of court for failing to adhere to all the consumer protection laws it was accused of ignoring.” | 