Beyoncé is in hot water with the owners of the Las Vegas Sphere, and it’s not just because of her high-tech visuals lighting up the stage.
The pop icon and her team at Parkwood Entertainment have received a cease-and-desist letter from Sphere Entertainment Group, accusing them of using the venue’s image in a way that was “impermissible” and “unauthorized.” The issue? During her ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour, Beyoncé appears on screen as a towering figure picking up and juggling a digital version of the iconic Las Vegas Sphere, a moment that drew wild cheers from fans in Los Angeles and viral traction online. But it also drew legal attention.
The cease-and-desist, first reported by the New York Post, claims that Beyoncé’s video makes her appear “many orders of magnitude larger than the Sphere venue,” before she “leans over, picks up the venue, and looms over it.” Sounds cool for the audience, but not for Sphere executives, who are now alleging a violation of their intellectual property rights.
Their gripe doesn’t stop at the visuals alone. Sphere’s legal team is also worried the clip has sparked “significant speculation” that Beyoncé could be closing her tour with a residency at the venue, something they claim is entirely unfounded. “SEG was never asked and the prominent appearance and manipulation of SEG’s Sphere venue in the video is unauthorised,” the letter reads.
Now, the clock is ticking. Beyoncé and Parkwood have reportedly been given until Monday, May 5, 2025, to stop using the imagery. If they don’t comply, Sphere Entertainment says it “reserves all rights to take further action as SEG deems appropriate without notice.”
And it’s not just the on-stage visuals that are under scrutiny. The letter also demands that Parkwood cease any use of the Sphere’s likeness on merch, marketing materials, or tour-related content like documentaries or streaming specials.
Here’s where things get even juicier: it turns out Beyoncé had been in talks with Sphere about a possible residency. Sources close to the situation say those conversations eventually fizzled because of some bold requests from Queen Bey’s team. They reportedly asked the Sphere to shut down for two full weeks for rehearsal time, an ask that would’ve cost the venue big, considering it runs immersive shows like Postcards from Earth up to four times a day, with ticket prices starting at $104.
That’s not all. Beyoncé’s production budget request? A cool $10 million, on par with what U2 allegedly received for their Sphere residency. Sphere wasn’t having it. And when negotiations collapsed, Beyoncé reportedly turned her attention to MGM for a potential 100-show run over four years instead.
The venue has stayed mostly mum on all of this, issuing a no-comment policy on any artists unless officially announced. That silence, combined with Beyoncé’s eye-popping visuals, probably fueled the rumors they’re now scrambling to squash.
So where does this leave things? Unless Beyoncé’s team makes edits fast, we could be looking at a legal showdown between one of the biggest stars on the planet and one of Vegas’s flashiest new attractions.
It’s a classic standoff of artistic expression vs. corporate IP control, with Beyoncé’s tour visuals caught right in the middle.
