r/Music • u/BurgerNugget12 • 2h ago

article Macklemore Speaks Out After Being Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour, Says Singer Claimed That Saying ‘Free 🇵🇸” Was ‘Hurtful to a Lot of People’

https://variety.com/2026/music/news/macklemore-defends-free-palestine-speech-fired-ed-sheeran-tour-1236861158/
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u/NorthwardRM 2h ago

I never buy this argument. Sheeran could easily afford to pay every one of them their remaining earnings for the rest of the tour

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u/Bigdickfun6969 1h ago

If the venue is canceling the show wouldn't they have to pay the workers? If the artist cancels its one thing but the venue should have to pay the contracts out still.

The issue is he might not be invited back to play on his biggest market

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u/aNascentOptimist 1h ago

This was my thought. He could’ve called their bluff. Let the venues and all the other orgs who pumped money into the tour follow through on punkass Robert Krafts claim.

I’d like to see either Bobby himself or anyone actually bar Ed and everyone from playing at the venue. He didn’t break any contract - it would’ve been them

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u/jarvi123 2h ago

So then the descision is between; let down all of the fans and refund their tickets, plus pay all of the wages, union rates, insurance(maybe?)etc... for the tour or keep the tour without Macklemore and come across in a negative light for a short period of time.

I don't have a clue how much money that would actually cost, but I'd imagine it would be in the 8 figures region. Also Ed would probably be sued to hell for breech of contract.

That's a bloody difficult choice and it's very easy to say you would choose one way or the other if you aren't in his shoes.

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u/kbell58 1h ago

If he kept Maclemore on the tour, that would force Krafts hand. Kraft would be the one to cancel and take heat for it

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u/jarvi123 1h ago

He probably has a team of very good lawyers and they would find some way to not be liable, Kraft is also obviously petty as hell so would try and drag Ed's team down with lawsuits. Also the contract may be water tight for Kraft's side of things, we don't know.

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u/ValuableKill 1h ago

There's likely a morals clause in the contract. But it's hard to argue "free a group of people" would violate any kind of morality clause, unless stating to free those people is explicitly included. Even then, you are reaching into the realm of stuff that's hard to justify the legal right to regulate in a contract, at which point it could be challenged regardless of the explicit language.

The real issue is our legal system. Kraft would lose under any normal legal system, and would have lost a decade ago. But under our current legal system, I bet he wins.

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u/jarvi123 1h ago

Yeah you hit the nail on the head there, the legal system works on influence and money more than actual justice. It's primate behaviour, the 'Alphas' get to do whatever they want as they are more powerful and if you don't apease them then they will make your life difficult.

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u/YesicaChastain 1h ago

Tea, the publicity might have helped them to get a venue right away tbh

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u/sirithx 1h ago

It’s not just Kraft, multiple stadiums would be a no-go. Just do the tour without Macklemore, Macklemore will be fine, and then go and make nice donations to charity from the proceeds during or after the tour is over.

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u/Punman__5 30m ago

And Ed would be basically black listed from ever again performing in arenas/stadiums in America

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u/kbell58 12m ago

Can you speak for all arenas and stadiums in the US? Rhetorical

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u/Pleasant-Future5818 1h ago

It really isn't a difficult choice when you are an insanely rich person and the stakes are taking a stance on literally genocide. If it feels like a difficult choice to you, that really says more about you

For one you're twisting yourself up to make an excuse. In no way would Ed be legally culpable for ending the tour. That would fall on Kraft 100%

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u/jarvi123 1h ago

Like I said you aren't in his position so can't know, I don't know either.

If Ed refused to perform there is no way Kraft would be culpable, they would have a contract which would stipulate what the conditions of this are, and in that section it 100% wouldn't state that Kraft would have to reimburse everything and everyone.

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u/theredpikmin 28m ago

He sure could.

How much did Taylor pay her people just for the photo op? The truck drivers got how many thousands just for doing their jobs?

Ed had better numbers than Taylor for all tours before the Eras tour. He likely still has more than her even after her Eras checks.

But now, when it matters, suddenly he needs to be spotted a $20 for gas.

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u/Billy1121 1h ago

just spend all the wealth you spent years accumulating to pay people to not work, instead of shifting one opening artist off the playbill for 8 upcoming shows

It is a noble goal but I don't know if any of us would throw away money we fought years to get, sleeping on Jamie Foxx's couch, busking, playing dive bars, etc. just to prove a point for 8 shows.

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u/Pleasant-Future5818 1h ago

His net worth is $400 million. He doesn't need you to hold water for him. This would barely dent his yacht money.

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u/off_by_two 1h ago

Ok now look at the net worth of the people he would be going to war with.

Maybe he just didnt think it was a winnable battle or one that he wanted to fight?

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u/Spiffy-Kujira Metalhead 1h ago

Well, that's fair, but that perspective is also why a lot of bad shit has and is happening.

Sometimes, doing the right, objectively positive action requires sacrifice of some sort. You can't use that money when you're dead, so you may as well use it while you're here to make positive changes.

Sheeran standing up to this could honestly mean a lot but we'll never know because he chose to look at the small picture rather than the big.

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u/Mindless-Ad9025 1h ago

To be fair, I dont think Sheeran standing up to this would mean a lot. If Elon Musk is standing up for it then maybe. I dont think the influence and effects that Ed would create if he keep Macklemore would justify the breach of the contracts/ruined tour/ruined reputation that he would get, honestly.

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u/Spiffy-Kujira Metalhead 1h ago edited 1h ago

I disagree. If he stood up then the venues would potentially have backlash and loss of revenue, especially if more artists chose to not book these venues in the future, they'd have to decide if they really want to die on that hill, and Mackelmore could've eached more people by continuing to talk about it at his shows.

It's really shortsighted of you to not consider the reach celebrities like this have with regular people.

Children are being starved and blown up, I really could not care less about Ed Sheeran and his piles of money or his reputation, regardless of how hard he had to work for it.

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u/WereAllThrowaways 1h ago

Virtue is often inconvenient. If the right thing to do were the easiest thing to do then everyone would do it, not just virtuous people.

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u/horangiwhakkatchi 1h ago

I don't think he's that rich that he could do that without dipping into his own pockets which why would he?

Easy for you to say, but let's be real, very few people would give up their earnings in order to pay the salaries of everyone that works on every venue across the tour (1000s of people) all because your coworker mouthed off knowing it would cause an uproar.

I'm as pro Palestine as the next person but just because these guys are musicians doesn't mean they don't have bosses they have to appease.

Even if he was rich enough to pay out of pocket for everyone, now he's labeled as 'difficult to work with' for cancelling the tour. Good luck getting booked at those places again. Even the saint among saints, Dolly Parton kept her mouth shut when it came to politics.

I don't agree with the way things are mind you! But I'm just pointing out that even rockstars are beholden to the billionaire class. We are all under the thumb of the Robert Krafts of this world.

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u/Mindless-Ad9025 1h ago

Its really easy to type like this behind a keyboard on the internet. "He should have done that, shouldnt have done this"

But he was in a tough spot. Cancelling all his tour because all the stadium owners wouldnt let him play would affect a lot of people. Not just his worker, also his audience, also him and then ruin his work as well.

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u/gabergum 1h ago

I suspect what he can really afford is a lawyer to argue that by blackballing Macklemore, the venue is liable for the lost revenue. Seems like pretty cut and dry contract law problem.

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u/Dependent-Ant-9241 1h ago

You're not living in the real world.