Barclays Center tops Pollstar vote, but falls behind MSG as busiest arena

Everyone knows the Barclays Center had a very good first year, not in profits, but in selling tickets and generating buzz. 

In 2013, the arena's first full year, subscribers to Pollstar, the international concert database service, voted Barclays Center Arena of the Year, topping BOK Center (Tulsa, OK), Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN), Madison Square Garden Arena (New York, NY), SAP Center at San Jose (San Jose, CA), and 

Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA).

Barclays executive Sean Saadeh was a finalist for Facility Executive of the Year. In 2012, Barclays Center was Pollstar's Best New Major Concert Venue, while Madison Square Garden was Arena of the Year.

MSG reclaims title

In an exclusive 2/17/14, the New York Post reported Garden greener: MSG reclaims title of No. 1 US facility:

The Garden has reclaimed its title as the busiest arena in the country, selling 35 percent more tickets to concerts and family events than its Brooklyn rival from Oct. 24, when MSG reopened, through the end of the year, according to industry statistics.
MSG sold 256,379 tickets over that span compared with Barclays total of 189,467 tickets, according to Pollstar magazine.

That wasn't particularly surprising, since MSG had been renovating, but the Post cited a boast from Brooklyn arena CEO Brett Yormark as being "in an even better position in year two."

Actually, Barclays sold about 7 percent fewer tickets to concerts and family shows in its second fourth quarter--unsurprising given there was no eight-show Jay-Z run.

Barclays had more concerts, actually, in the quarter since MSG reopened, but MSG has the advantage of two pro teams, which means Barclays catches up somewhat when the Islanders come in 2015.

Ticket price difference

On 10/16/13, Forbes reported Music Battle NYC: Madison Square Garden Average Ticket Price Is $11 Above Barclays Center, citing the huge impact of Jay-Z's run:

While not a perfect comparison, the above data tells us that demand for Jay-Z in Brooklyn is significantly higher than it is in Manhattan. Of the 21 acts that have played both venues, only eight have had a higher average ticket price for Barclays than Madison Square Garden.
...The Who at MSG evokes the golden era of the venues’ reign, and a time when arena rock was just discovering itself. After all those years and legendary shows, it’s hard to imagine that the World’s Most Famous Arena lost its superlative mojo in just one year. Based on the average price for acts that have played both venues, it hasn’t. While the Garden came in at an unfamiliar second place in Billboards report, Madison Square Garden had an average price $319 for all the acts that played both venues, which his $11 more than the Barclays average price for those same acts. That’s a razor-thin margin of victory, and one that Garden will have to work hard to maintain in what’s surely the highest-stakes music battle NYC has ever hosted.

TiqIq further offered, "a breakdown of performers who’ve played both venues, and their average secondary market ticket prices." The screenshot below is just a partial version of their chart: