Live Nation Allegedly Used Billie Eilish Show as Leverage Against Venue Over Ticketing Contract

In April 2021, John Abbamondi, then CEO of BSE Global which operated Brooklyn's Barclays Center, was tasked with informing Ticketmaster's CEO that the arena would not be renewing its contract. BSE Global had evaluated proposals from SeatGeek, AXS, and Ticketmaster as their existing deal was set to expire. According to Abbamondi, Ticketmaster's economic offer "was nowhere near as good as the other two." SeatGeek's technology was deemed "superior" on balance, and its financial terms, which included an equity stake in the company, clinched the decision for the arena to switch. However, shortly after this decision, a major concert booking was impacted. Billie Eilish was scheduled to perform at Barclays Center on her upcoming tour. Abbamondi was informed by a senior Live Nation executive, who oversees tour routing for major artists, that the Billie Eilish show was being moved to Madison Square Garden. The executive cited "routing" as the reason, a common industry justification. The implication, as perceived by Abbamondi and others familiar with the situation, was that this was a punitive action by Live Nation—Ticketmaster's parent company—for Barclays Center choosing SeatGeek over Ticketmaster. The move demonstrated the immense power Live Nation wields in the live entertainment ecosystem, where it can influence where major artists perform based on its own business interests, potentially stifling competition in the ticketing market.