Who Really Holds Sway on a Stadium Tour Like Ed Sheeran's?
Industry insiders say promoters and venues hold leverage on stadium tours, though headliners like Ed Sheeran usually get approval over most decisions.
The fallout from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour has thrown a spotlight on a question that rarely surfaces in public: who actually controls what happens on a stadium tour?
Four supporting acts walked away in solidarity with rapper Macklemore, who was removed from the bill after making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Sheeran said on Instagram that the promoter made the call and that he had no power over it. The promoter countered that it had no choice, because venues would not permit Macklemore to perform.
Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium — one of the remaining stops on the tour — said the decision stemmed from Macklemore's recent comments and what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
According to music business figures, the promoter sits at the centre of a tour's operations. At the highest level, that means a company such as Messina Touring Group, which is promoting Sheeran's dates. Ray Waddell, chief content director for media and conferences at the Oak View Group, whose properties include the concert trade publication Pollstar, described the promoter as the party that puts up the money, pays the acts and deals with the venue. "If you're paying for everything, yes you can make that call," he said, though he added that promoters almost always want to follow the artist's wishes.
Entertainment lawyer Dean Sheldon Serwin said a superstar headliner generally has approval over everything done in their name. That leverage flows from the ability to sell tickets. "The way to make money in the music industry for real is butts in seats," he said. Even so, he noted, there is a give and take when an artist wants access to particular venues.
Lil Gary, an artist manager who has worked in tour management for acts including the Rolling Stones and the Eagles, said touring musicians and their representatives seek a say over many matters, especially creative control, but not every detail. On some non-musical issues, she said, artists of a certain stature would absolutely dictate how security works. In her experience, opening acts rarely influence how a tour unfolds. Support acts on Rolling Stones tours, she recalled, were mostly happy to be there and simply did their job.
Venue owners are usually hands-off, but they retain the option to intervene. Waddell said they can effectively lock the doors, even if they normally hand the keys to the promoter. He added that venue operators can often anticipate what an artist might say or do based on past performances, and that in this case the reaction should not have come as a surprise given the artist's history.
Tour cancellations are common, though they usually stem from factors such as artists' health, and the ideal outcome is a quick rescheduling with existing tickets honoured. There is no strong indication that Sheeran's entire tour will be scrapped over the opening-act dispute. If it were, multiple insurers — the biggest artists carry their own, and promoters have theirs — would likely be drawn into sorting out refunds and contractual obligations.
Such situations can breed blame and strain business relationships, but Waddell said the industry tends to find a way through because everyone wants to work together again. Sheeran, he noted, is young and has many lucrative tours ahead of him.