Promoter Mistake Equals Jail Time

A concert promoter in Midland, Texas, recently learned that Nicki Minaj was not coming to his town after all. He claims he did business with a scam artist.

Medric Sydnor claims he negotiated $65,000 with someone he thought was Minaj’s agent. He learned the hard way Minaj’s actual agency of record is CAA.

Sydnor is the manager of Midland’s Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, where the artist was to perform Jan. 21. He told the Midland Reporter-Telegram he found the “agency” online, only to be told later by CAA that Minaj was performing in the U.K. that evening.

One thing that appeared to work in Sydnor and the hotel’s favor is the supposed agency was willing to take the $65,000 deposit on credit but no charges were ever made to the Clarion, according to the paper.

The bad news is that Sydnor intended to reimburse ticketbuyers in full but could not, and has been charged with theft over $1,500 and under $20,000, police told KWES-TV. Sydnor turned himself in Feb. 28 and was held on $20,000 bail at press time, according to police.

The cancellation came hours before the Clarion was to install a new door, required by building code for the expected crowd, at a cost of $23,000, according to the Reporter-Telegram. Local performers had spent “countless hours” preparing for the concert, the paper said.

The concert was also to feature Gudda Gudda, Lil Twist, Tyga and Shanell. It was a Gudda Gudda representative who reportedly was the first to tell Sydnor that the Minaj agency was bogus but Sydnor allegedly responded he trusted the booking agent to come through.