NEWSBOYS AND CO-FOUNDER WES CAMPBELL FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT ALLEGING DEFAMATION AND ANTITRUST VIOLATIONS AGAINST MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE CHRISTIAN CONCERT MARKET

April 28, 2026, Nashville, TN - Christian music impresario Wes Campbell, co-founder of one of Christian music's most celebrated groups, Newsboys, has filed a sweeping federal civil Complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, on behalf of himself, Newsboys, and several related entities.  

The lawsuit alleges an orchestrated campaign to drive Campbell and Newsboys out of the Christian concert market.  The detailed Complaint makes claims against:

LiveCo/TPR, the dominant Christian concert promoter in the United States, is a consolidated roll-up of Transparent Productions, Premier Productions Holdings, and Rush Concerts.   The suit alleges all three of these promoters were acquired in near-simultaneous transactions by LiveCo/TPR, also named as defendants, and are alleged to have created a monopoly.  The Complaint further alleges that the monopolistic roll-up was orchestrated by Waterland Private Equity, a Netherlands-based hedge fund and private equity firm, also named as a defendant, and is alleged to have been led initially by the same person who headed up the formation of the monopoly called "Live Nation," whose antitrust conduct has been in the news recently. 

World Vision, one of the nation's largest nonprofits, is also a defendant in the suit.   World Vision is alleged in the suit to be paying LiveCo/TPR to allow World Vision exclusive or near exclusive rights to raise money at CCM concerts promoted by LiveCo/TPR, squeezing out other nonprofit support of artists, and nonprofit-intermediaries such as one of Campbell's affiliated companies, which this Complaint alleges was targeted and has joined in the suit. 

The Roys Report, an online publication that bills itself as a watchdog for the Christian community, is also named as a defendant.  The Complaint alleges that it published defamatory articles in 2025 and 2026, making serious accusations regarding a 2014 incident, when in reality, contemporaneous statements made to law enforcement contradicted those accusations, and the Articles did not publish those exonerating statements made to law enforcement.  The Complaint alleges that the characterization of what actually occurred changed from an innocent, consensual encounter to serious charges under circumstances alleged to be tied to the parties' later alignment with LiveCo/TPR.

Several prominent musicians in the CCM industry, including MercyMe, are also named.  Those artists are alleged to have breached contracts with Campbell-affiliated companies, which breaches are alleged to have been induced by LiveCo/TPR as a part of the overall monopolistic scheme for LiveCo/TPR and World Vision to take control of nonprofit funding at CCM Concerts and separate the groups from Campbell-affiliation. 

Campbell and his related plaintiffs have set up a website www.tcalawsuit.com, where the publicly filed Complaint with exhibits can be accessed at no charge.   The Complaint includes detailed factual allegations based on documents, communications, and witness accounts. 

Also on the website is a sign-up feature through which interested parties may register to receive notices of relevant court filings as they occur.  

The website also contains a tip hotline where anyone with knowledge of any of these events may provide information anonymously. 

Newsboys and Campbell express appreciation for the continued support from their fans and stated that they intend to pursue their claims vigorously in federal court.