Major Artists Lobby For Live Nation Ticketmaster Merger But Don’t Disclose Azoff Connection

Unlike Bruce Springsteen and the many musicians who oppose the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, at least four high profile artists have written letters to Congress expressing their strong support. But in each case, the artist, as well as Ticketmaster and Live Nation, failed to reveal their connection to one of the key players in the deal. 

Eddie Van Halen, Seal, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins and the four members of the band Journey  have signed individual letters supporting the merger. Each is managed or co-managed by Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff and his Front Line Management. Azoff is also slated to hold one of the top three positions in the new merged company.

The letters were presented during a recent hearing before a sub-committee of the U.S. House Of Representatives after Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents Azoff's Los Angeles district, asked if anyone had letters to present regarding the merger. Each of the four letters includes the artist's path to a career in music, how grateful they are for their successes, an acknowledgment of how the industry has shifted towards a direct artist-to-fan relationship and their belief that a Live Nation Ticketmaster merger can better foster that connection.  

Read pdf scans of the original letters by Eddie Van Halen, Seal, and Journey plus Hypebot coverage of the Billy Corgan letter.