Ozzy Osbourne Drops AEG Lawsuit After Company Ends Block-Booking Policy

Ozzy Osbourne’s case against AEG has been dismissed, Billboard reports. Earlier this year, Osbourne filed a class action antitrust lawsuit against AEG over their conditional booking tactics. The lawsuit alleged that the powerhouse entertainment promoter was illegally tying the booking of its London and Los Angeles venues with their condition called the Staples Center Commitment. The commitment prohibited artists from playing London’s O2 Arena unless they agreed to play the Staples Center during their Los Angeles tour stop. Osbourne’s lawyers called the tactic an “illegal tying practice.”

Earlier this month, AEG announced that it had ended that block-booking policy. “Promoters for artists that want to play the O2 will no longer be required to commit to playing Staples Center,” AEG Presents executive Jay Marciano said. The change in policy spurred Osbourne’s attorney to file to have the case dismissed. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer dismissed the case with prejudice. “We’re very pleased that there is no longer anything to litigate,” Osbourne’s attorney Dan Wall said in a statement.

Marciano claimed that AEG’s Staples Center Commitment was a reaction to Azoff MSG Entertainment’s block-booking policy between Madison Square Garden in New York and the Forum in L.A. Irving Azoff has denied the claim, saying there wasn’t a block-booking policy between MSG and the Forum.

In a statement on September 22, AEG said, “This dismissal with prejudice is a victory for AEG,” adding, “Our policy was an appropriate, lawful and effective competitive response to Irving Azoff’s pressure tactics seeking to force artists into the Forum. If those tactics resurface, we will redeploy our policy as needed.” The statement also claimed, “The Osbourne suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation.”

On September 25, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife Sharon Osbourne released her own statement, criticizing AEG, its statement, and its owner Philip Anschutz, whom she calls “Daddy Big Bucks.” Osbourne contradicted AEG’s “victory” claim, writing “we won the case” because Ozzy can perform his O2 show without playing Staples Center. She also calls out AEG for its “hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and [its] little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG.”

Osbourne concludes: “The only thing remotely interesting in your statement was your pitiful attempt at humor with your quote that Ozzy ‘had no idea what he was biting off.’ If you’re interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you bite on... our assholes... see ya loser!” Read Sharon Osbourne’s full statement below; find AEG’s statement at Billboard.

Sharon Osbourne:

We know Mr. Anshultz [sic] (aka “Daddy Big Bucks”) is living in his billionaire bubble, but the fact is that Ozzy sued AEG for the right to perform at the O2 in London. We won the case and Ozzy’s show at the O2 went on sale on September 5 for a show next year (February 11, 2019)—so in my world that means we won the case. Ozzy is playing the O2 without having to play the Staples Center, which is all that mattered to us. From the start of this dialogue in February, this has been a battle about respect for the artists and their personal preferences. It wasn’t then and isn’t now a battle between promoters, which is how this is being portrayed by the recent statement from AEG claiming this as a “victory.”

To say that this “suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation,” and that “it was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off,” is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team working on this tour. Whatever differences you have with Irving Azoff, don’t presume you know who instigated the lawsuit or you know anything about Ozzy Osbourne, because you obviously don't know anything about Ozzy’s history or mine. So stop with your hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and your little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG.

Regarding the allegations in the AEG statement that this “suit was a transparent public relations ploy,” if that was indeed the case, why then did AEG rush out a statement of victory? While we, throughout this process, until now have only made one statement around the initial filing.

Ozzy’s preference was to perform at The Forum, a venue that has been a part of his music history for more than 46 years. From the start, this was not a battle solely for Ozzy, as much as one for other artists who were being forced to abide by these rules and regulations. Let’s not all forget why you’re here... the artists.

The only thing remotely interesting in your statement was your pitiful attempt at humor with your quote that Ozzy “had no idea what he was biting off.” If you’re interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you bite on... our assholes... see ya loser!

This article was originally published on Saturday, September 22 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. It was last updated on Tuesday, September 25 at 1:35 p.m. Eastern.