Madison Square Garden denies tracking queer and “risky” artists
Madison Square Garden has denied a new report that it has allegedly been keeping tabs on the risk level of artists who visit the grounds, including their sexual orientation.
As alleged in an investigative piece from Wired, the New York City venue reportedly keeps a “talent” database which has, at the time of writing, 39,539 entries, consisting of musicians, actors, politicians, athletes, business figures, and similar noteworthy guests.
Criminal hacker collective ShinyHunters reportedly published the documents last month; from there, Wired found that 93 people in the database were marked down as “LGBTQIA”, including the likes of indie artist Phoebe Bridgers and Geese guitarist Emily Green.
Geese drummer Max Bassin has come to the defence of his bandmate, sharing via Instagram Stories: “Fuck you James Dolan [CEO of MSG], you absolutely disgust me.”
The report also adds that, in some instances, a celebrity’s race and gender were noted in their database profile.
Around 400 celebrities were also assigned a “risk” score: “low risk” stars included Selena Gomez, Benson Boone, and Ice Spice; “medium risk” people included Morgan Wallen, Lily Allen, and David Harbour; “high risk” stars included DaBaby, Freddie Gibbs, and Lil Jon.
Reportedly, Madison Square Garden actively keeps tabs on whether performers in the database say anything untoward online, including any negative comments about executive chairman and CEO Dolan.
This may be why rap producer DJ Pete Rock is currently marked as “DO NOT HOST” in the database, as he previously called for a boycott of Dolan after the venue had an altercation with former Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley.
Allegedly, this surveillance practice is also enforced at Dolan’s other venues, such as The Sphere in Las Vegas and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
This database leak has also apparently revealed a much larger customer database, with over 10.5 million entries. The company’s surveillance practices are now under intense public scrutiny.
In response to Far Out‘s request for comment, Madison Square Garden has denied the existence of the database. “Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies,” a spokesperson said on the matter.
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