Ed Sheeran says he couldn’t save Macklemore. So who really controls his tour?

Music industry insiders say artists who can fill stadiums typically have significant control over their tours, raising questions about Ed Sheeran’s claim that he had no say in Macklemore being dropped from his Loop Tour.

Four supporting acts have since quit in solidarity with Macklemore , who was removed after making pro-Palestinian comments during a performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Sheeran said the tour promoter made the decision, which in turn said venues would not allow Macklemore to perform.

Robert Kraft, billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, one of the tour’s remaining venues, said Macklemore was dropped because of his recent comments and what Kraft described as a broader history of “antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”

The promoter functions as the primary commercial entity on a concert tour. On major stadium runs, this involves a major company like Messina Touring Group, which handled Sheeran's tour.

"The promoter puts up the money, pays all of the acts, deals with the venue. They provide the stake, sell the tickets, and the artists come on and play," said Ray Waddell, chief content director for media and conferences for the Oak View Group, an entertainment and venue management company whose properties include the concert trade publication Pollstar.

Sheeran noted in his Instagram post that despite his efforts "to build a bridge" all week, "the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final."

Does the promoter, however, typically hold the ultimate control over who joins the lineup?

"If you’re paying for everything, yes you can make that call," Waddell said, "but almost without exception the promoter wants to do what the artists want."

Dean Sheldon Serwin, an entertainment lawyer who works in the music industry, stated that, speaking broadly, "at the end of the day that superstar headliner is going to have approval over everything."

An artist’s ultimate leverage stems directly from their capability to sell out arenas and stadiums.

"The way to make money in the music industry for real is butts in seats, always has been, always will be," Serwin said. "How many tickets can you sell and how consistently can you sell those tickets?"

Though it might be minimal with performers at the level of Sheeran or Ariana Grande, a commercial trade-off always exists.

"When you want to play at the venues you want to play at, there’s a give and take," Serwin said.