Azoff to Take on Stub Hub
 

Billboard Magazine, August 11, 2016

http://www.billboard.com/articles/bu...music-business

The New Pioneers: Irving Azoff on His Plan to Deal With the 'StubHub Factor' -- 'You Have Lots of People Escaping With Lot

Some music executives see things as they are and say why. Irving Azoff dreams things that never were and asks, "Why the f-- not?"

During the course of his half-century in the music business, Azoff, 68, has asked this so often -- usually at high volume, seldom politely -- that he has changed more facets of the industry than anyone else.

Two decades ago, Azoff asked why his biggest management clients, like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, weren't getting higher percentages of concert grosses and merchandise sales -- and changed the economics of the touring business. Then he wondered why the live-music industry was so fragmented -- and helped bring together Front Line Management, Ticketmaster and Live Nation into a concert colossus. And he has spent much of this year calling out YouTube for paying creators less than Spotify. "Artists aren't getting their due on YouTube," he tells Billboard. "And I don't give a **** what YouTube thinks -- I'm right."

Through Azoff MSG Entertainment, a company funded by the Madison Square Garden Company, Azoff still manages '70s icons like the Eagles and Steely Dan, plus such pop artists as Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani. But his most potentially disruptive project is Global Music Rights, a for-profit firm that will compete with performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI to represent top songwriters, then collect money on their behalf when their compositions are performed in public and online. It's a part of the music business that no one has entered for more than 75 years.​

"I can't understand how a couple of nonprofits that are supposed to represent the interests of writers have operated their businesses the way they have," says Azoff with characteristic bluntness. The goal of Global Music Rights is to assemble enough songwriters -- including Pharrell Williams, Smokey Robinson and Bruno Mars -- to negotiate better public performance rights payments from radio stations, restaurants and online music services. "We have a full roster of songwriters that nobody can, shall we say, comfortably exist without," he says.

Azoff ran two labels (MCA Music Entertainment in the '80s, Giant Records in the '90s) and a concert conglomerate (he was CEO of Ticketmaster and chairman of Live Nation after the companies merged), but he is best known as a manager and dealmaker who has leveraged artists' power for their own benefit. (Earlier this year, his son Jeffrey formed a new company, Full Stop, that will manage Harry Styles and other acts.) At Front Line, he bought up enough management companies to win better terms from promoters, merchandisers and sponsors. A similar concept is behind the Arena Alliance, a new organization run by Oak View Group that brings together 24 of the top 27 U.S. arenas to give them advantages in marketing and selling tickets. (Azoff also oversaw the Madison Square Garden Company's restoration of The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and its deal to build a new entertainment arena in Las Vegas.) "If roll-ups are done properly," says Azoff, "they provide better economics for artists."

Next, Azoff plans to enter the high-end VIP ticket business for sports and music, in partnership with Live Nation and a technology company he is not ready to name. "It's my answer to what's broken in the system, which is what I call 'the StubHub factor,' " he says. "You have lots of people with no skin in the game escaping with lots of money."

To Azoff, it's only natural to wonder why that money doesn't go to artists themselves. "If you make the right decisions for creative people, it will eventually be the right decision for your business," he says. "I don't consider a lot of what we do disruptive -- I consider it common sense."

This article originally appeared in the Aug. 20 issue of Billboard.

Dear Irving
Of course it was a problem
FRONTLINE baby!

Artist supply stub hub with tickets , they are part of the problem, He just wants his cut .

if only people would STOP buying from them

Azoff doesn't realize that the Internet train left him at the station about 20 years ago. Restaurants, pfft.......Offices, pfft

Does he really thing that small commercial business are going to ante up and pay-to-play the radio??? Its now so easy to stream music from your phone (which you already paid for through a music service) or your computer or Pandora etc etc that he's really fighting a fight that ultimately is MUCH bigger than he is. I think that he doesnt like the fact that Stub Hub etc is getting a much larger % than even the artists of the gate.

Merchandise?? Pfft, that was gone years ago when people said, "Nah, I am not paying $40.00 at the concert for a concert T shirt or $60.00 for a concert sweat shirt or hoodie when I can easily go home, log on and buy it on the net for 1/2 the price or less (and it'll be better quality to boot). Anyone see Chris Nicks at a concert lately?? Last time I saw him was probably 10 years ago or more??

What Azoff doesn't realize is the the commodities and service futures are indeed on line. Why did Walmart.com just pay over $3 B for jet.com (a fledgling on line retailer)? Because they see the future.

Tickets?? He can go after Stub Hub and all the others all he wants, BUT nothing can stop Mr. X and Mrs. Y from buying and selling legit tickets to brokers and or on Craigslist. Again, its much bigger than he is.

He's 68 for goodness sake, when is enough enough and time to retire?? Look at Jimmy Iovine who created (along with Dre) Beats (now owned by Apple). He saw the future and its NOT in touring or CDs/Albums or tickets sales. Its all online and equipment and he said to himself, what can I make or create to capitalize with these kids?? Boom, you got Beats!! Dre and Iovine walked away with almost $3 B on the sale to Apple. Meanwhile, Azoff is still fighting the small ticket brokers who will never go away.

I have never been a fan of Azoff. Just because the scalpers make 1000 + bucks for tickets gives him the right to charge the same or more for great seats.

He is fghting a losing battle as you can't stop anyone from buyingsaid amount of tickets and selling them for marked up prices. How about he find a way to make tickets affordable and non transferable and stop scalping.

Description of Azoff in Street Insider, August 17, 2016

http://www.streetinsider.com/Corpora.../11948891.html

rving Azoff is an American entertainment executive and personal manager, representing recording artists and entertainers such as Christina Aguilera, Eagles, John Mayer, Gwen Stefani, Van Halen, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Steely Dan, Chelsea Handler and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac. Since September 2013, he has been chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, a venture with The Madison Square Garden Company. Prior to this, he served as chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster Entertainment and was Executive Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment and CEO of Front Line Management.

Good points ^ ^ ^

What pisses off Azoff is that MSG sells a ticket at list for say $125.00 for X group or Y Act. Brokers etc. buy a ton of them and resell for $500 or $1000 a ticket and Azoff and MSG are left holding the bag and opening the doors for a ticket that someone paid $125.00 for. Look at Hamilton, there was an article how the hottest ticket of the last two years , BUT the house didn't make the money $$, the secondary market made ALL the money!!