As Barclays Center touts rise in Caribbean concerts, the Brooklyn Paper offers a puff piece on the arena's chief programmer

Relative newcomers to Brooklyn usually don't know that, at least until early 2009, when the independent Brooklyn Paper was sold to Rupert Murdoch, presaging future sales until its current ownership by outer-borough behemoth Schneps Media, the publication punched above its weight.

It reported skeptically, and in-depth, regarding Atlantic Yards, and its broadsheet print issues made a big splash, especially in Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods, before smartphone-based social media took off.

Today, though, it's no surprise to see the Oct. 29 Brooklyn Paper puff piece headlined Meet Laurie Jacoby, the woman behind Brooklyn’s biggest stage: Barclays Center:

When the lights go down and the first notes of a concert echo through Barclays Center, there’s one person whose vision and passion have helped make that moment possible: Laurie Jacoby. As Chief Entertainment Officer for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, Jacoby oversees all programming and live events at the Barclays Center — a role that has not only elevated the arena’s global profile but also redefined how Brooklyn experiences live entertainment.

Following a record-breaking fiscal year — Barclays’ highest grossing in history — Jacoby has been recognized by Billboard on its 2025 Touring Power Players List and was named IEBA’s Venue Executive of the Year for the second time. But behind the accolades lies a deep-rooted love for live music and community. 

So, yes, Jacoby's performance may be worth an article--and the Barclays Center's presence has surely increased the "open dates" for large concerts within the five boroughs, a consumer demand that arena opponents didn't fully grasp.

Still, a little skepticism or context might be in order.

First, "highest grossing" does not mean enormously profitable, which you'd think a mildly thoughtful journalist might explore. The arena company is, indeed, finally somewhat profitable but very much lags original projections.

Reflecting Brooklyn

From the article:

“I really wanted to increase the ability for us to present and make our venue a home away from home for performers and audiences,” she said. Jacoby has helped hold shows from K-Pop, Mandopop, C-Pop, Caribbean and Haitian concerts to “celebrate Brooklyn’s communities.”

This year alone, BSE hosted seven Caribbean concerts — a record that highlights the arena’s evolving role as a space where global and local cultures intersect.

(Btw, Mandopop is Mandarin popular music.)

Caribbean concerts

That was the subject of a Sept. 2 press release, Barclays Center Sets Record for Caribbean Concerts in 2025, Underscoring Genre’s Cultural Impact, saying those concerts generated "20% of the arena’s gross revenue for the calendar year to date."

From the press release:

Artists who have taken the stage in Brooklyn in 2025 include Vybz Kartel with three sold-out performances, Michael Brun, Bounty Killer, Capleton, Shenseea, Alkaline, Elephant Man, and Machel Montano, whose electrifying show as part of BSE’s two-day Planet Brooklyn festival featured Lady Lava, Bunji Garlin, Skillibeng, Ayetian, Ravi B, and more.

A little context: World Music Views reported that Vybz Kartel set a new U.S. record for Jamaican dancehall artists, grossing $8.4 million from two sold-out Barclays shows, with 31,126 tickets sold. (The third concert cited by the press release was the Massive Reggae Fest Aug. 29, with multiple artists.)

Note that Vybz Kartel, incarcerated from 2011-24 but somehow releasing new music, has a worldwide following with pent-up demand, so this is an unusual year.

I'd be interested in learning what, besides the reappearance of Vybz Kartel, has made things different. Surely they haven't just awakened to the significant West Indian population in Brooklyn and within travel distance.

More puffery

“It’s like a town hall for Brooklyn,” Jacoby told her interviewer. “Our plaza is an extension of that — people congregate there. It’s the heart of Brooklyn.” 

 

Except when it's needed by the arena.

“If an artist asks for a date and we don’t have it, I never hang up the phone,” Jacob added. “I’m always looking for that date.” Um, that's her job.