Live Nation allegedly retaliated against Brooklyn's Barclays Center by pulling a high-profile Billie Eilish concert after the venue chose SeatGeek over Ticketmaster for its ticketing contract. The explosive allegation emerged from testimony by John Abbamondi, former CEO of BSE Global, during the ongoing DOJ antitrust trial. The testimony paints a picture of an industry giant allegedly using its promoter arm to punish venues that dare switch ticketing providers, raising questions about competitive practices in the live entertainment business.
Live Nation just got hit with damning testimony that could reshape how we think about power in the live entertainment industry. John Abbamondi, who ran the Barclays Center as CEO of BSE Global until 2021, told a federal courtroom that the company allegedly pulled a Billie Eilish concert from his venue as punishment for choosing a competitor's ticketing system.
The story starts in April 2021, when Barclays Center's contract with Ticketmaster was set to expire that September. Abbamondi and his team evaluated three proposals: Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, and AXS. According to Abbamondi's testimony in the DOJ's antitrust case, the decision wasn't even close. Ticketmaster's economics were "nowhere near as good as the other two," he said.
SeatGeek emerged as the winner. The ticketing startup offered superior technology, better financial terms, and sweetened the deal with an equity stake in the company. For a venue operator weighing the future of their business, it seemed like an obvious choice. But Abbamondi had been warned to tread carefully - he had "orders to let the CEO of Ticketmaster down easy."
What allegedly happened next illustrates why venues might be nervous about switching providers. Despite Live Nation's promoter division, Live Nation Concerts, having already planned to bring Billie Eilish to Barclays Center, the show mysteriously disappeared from the venue's schedule after the announcement. The implication in Abbamondi's testimony is clear: this wasn't a coincidental scheduling change but deliberate retaliation.
