Justin Bieber is facing mixed reactions to his headline performance at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where the pop star reportedly earned $10 million for two weekends. While the figure has not been confirmed, if it is true it would one of the highest payouts in the festival’s history.
The festival runs from the weekends spanning April 10-11 and April 18-19, with Bieber performing on April 11.
The performance, however, quickly sparked criticism online, with fans calling the set “lazy” and “low effort.” Bieber opened his show seated onstage with a laptop, playing YouTube videos from his early career while intermittently singing hits like “Baby” and “Never Say Never.” He also interacted with live comments, creating a format that resembled an internet livestream more than a traditional concert.
Others praised the performance as creative. Some in the industry also defended the performance as an artistic choice, framing it as a reflection on his beginnings as a YouTube-discovered artist.
In 2022, he sold the rights to his music catalog for a reported $200 million. A 2025 Hulu documentary, “TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?” claimed the sale came as the singer faced significant financial strain following the cancellation of his Justice World Tour, though representatives for Bieber pushed back on those claims.
Without ownership of his catalog, Bieber’s use of archived YouTube footage during the Coachella performance allowed him to revisit earlier material in a different format.
Some media outlets have reported that due to the catalog sale, Bieber was limited in what he could and how he could perform. But according to Billboard, this is untrue and not the reason behind his YouTube usage. “Billboard is saying the daily mail is wrong: “Under U.S. copyright law, playing a song in concert requires only a ‘public performance’ license, and venues themselves typically secure blanket licenses from groups like ASCAP and BMI automatically covering the performance of nearly all popular songs.” This means that Bieber can still perform his own songs in concert.
Bieber did manage to drew a massive crowd and featured guest appearances from artists including Dijon and Tems.
Bieber’s net worth is estimated at roughly $300 million, amassed through record sales, touring, endorsements, and business ventures. There have, however, been rumors Bieber faced severe financial strain, allegedly nearing a reported “financial collapse,” promoting sale of his catalog.
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