F-bombs and a vanishing Billie Eilish concert: Ex-arena exec describes 'retaliation' for booting Ticketmaster

"Ticketmaster pulled up the drawbridge behind them, refusing to help with the transition to SeatGeek. After booting Ticketmaster in October 2021, the 18,000-seat arena saw a dramatic drop in Live Nation-promoted concerts from more than 20 a year to fewer than eight, according to Barclays' then CEO John Abbamondi's testimony to the jury."

"A concert date for Billie Eilish, who was promoted by Live Nation, was switched from Barclays to the USB Arena near JFK Airport in Queens. Abbamondi cited this as smoking gun evidence that Barclays was punished for quitting Ticketmaster, with an Eilish manager telling his executives that it was Live Nation's decision to relocate the performance."

"Six months before the switch to SeatGeek, Barclays' CEO received a cautionary text from Patti Kim, a Live Nation vice president, warning that he should think about the bigger relationship with Live Nation before going with SeatGeek. The warning was signed with a winky face, suggesting implicit consequences for abandoning Ticketmaster."

In 2021, Brooklyn's Barclays Center switched from Ticketmaster to SeatGeek for ticketing services. Ticketmaster refused to assist with the transition, and Live Nation subsequently reduced concert bookings at the venue from over 20 annually to fewer than 8. The arena's former CEO testified that Live Nation relocated a Billie Eilish concert to another venue as retaliation. A Live Nation executive had previously warned the Barclays CEO about the consequences of abandoning Ticketmaster. This case forms part of a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to separate Ticketmaster from parent company Live Nation, with testimony suggesting coordinated punishment against venues refusing to use Ticketmaster's services.

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