MSG agrees booking deal with Prudential Center

American venue owner/operator Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) has signed a booking and marketing partnership with Prudential Center, a 19,500-cap. indoor arena in Newark, expanding its influence into New Jersey.

The partnership will, says MSG, bring together “two leading venues in the industry” – Prudential Center (pictured) and MSG’s Madison Square Garden in New York, the US’s most-visited music venue – “to bring elite entertainment acts to [New] Jersey, as well as solidifying the state as a premier destination for the world’s top performers.”

Both venues are members of the Arena Alliance, a membership alliance of North American arenas established by Irving Azoff and Tim Leiweke’s Oak View Group last September.

Darren Pfeffer, who joined MSG in April as executive VP of its newly created MSG Live division, comments: “MSG owns some of the world’s most celebrated venues, including Madison Square Garden, the number-one concert venue in North America and undisputed market leader in the New York area. These assets, along with our effective booking strategy and proven expertise in marketing have helped make MSG an industry leader in live entertainment.

“By forging this relationship with MSG, Prudential Center will continue to serve as a community cornerstone … for the entire state of New Jersey”

“We look forward to leveraging MSG’s unique stature and strong, long-standing relationships with industry leaders, along with a common membership with the Prudential Center in Oak View Group’s Arena Alliance, to help bring an exciting array of events to the Prudential Center while also serving the market with more options.”

“New Jersey has an incredible, rich history in entertainment, and is home to some of the greatest performers and artists to ever live,” adds Scott O’Neil, CEO of Prudential Center. “It is our mission, responsibility and priority to celebrate that history and further the legacy of this state by bringing the world’s top entertainers and attractions to Prudential Center.

“By forging this relationship with the innovative team at the iconic Madison Square Garden, we believe Prudential Center will continue to serve as a community cornerstone not only for Newark, but for the entire state of New Jersey, unifying the area through the power of sports and entertainment.”

Azoff MSG Entertainment, a joint venture between Azoff and Madison Square Garden Company, is currently embroiled in a public ‘booking war’ with AEG, with both parties barring acts from playing some of their venues unless they play another: for example, MSG’s LA Forum and Madison Square Garden and AEG’s Staples Center and The O2.

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