Drop Off in Sales
New York Times, August 14, 1982
"It's the 1980's, and the cream is definitely off the top of the business," said Irving Azoff, manager of some of the biggest rock stars. Back in the 70's, five of Mr. Azoff's clients, the Eagles, sold 15 million copies of their "Hotel California" album and broke attendance records across the country. He also manages members of Fleetwood Mac, whose "Rumours" album almost matched the Eagles' sales.
Now the Eagles have disbanded, and the band's members are pursuing solo careers, with varying degrees of success. Fleetwood Mac has another No. 1 album, "Mirage," but sales are in such a slump that it is unlikely to achieve more than a fraction of the sales of "Rumours." While the group is going on the road this month, it will not be raking in the money at stadium concerts and outdoor festivals.
"Fleetwood Mac only had offers to do two outdoor shows in the whole country," according to Mr. Azoff. "One was in a town that doesn't have a large indoor arena; the other was the Us Festival, which is scheduled to take place Labor Day weekend in San Bernardino County in California and is going to be the summer's only really big festival. There's a very good reason why groups like Fleetwood Mac aren't doing more stadium shows - the kids aren't buying tickets."
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