14 Comments

1. Bruce,
   Of course they do. They are a Frontline client! This is a very distressing tactic Ticketmaster and Live Nation are using to gain favor for the merger. They have submitted letters of support from artists who have deals with one, or both, of the companies!
   http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/7295-smashing-pumpkins-reportedly-hit-the-studio
   Most of the letters I have seen do not disclose the relationship!

2. First of all, Azoff has only been the CEO of Ticketmaster since the end of 2008. Also, highly respected managers Paul Geary, Jared Paul and Azoff formed the Front Line Management group (which I thought was changed to AGP or could be a different group) a few years ago, which manages Godsmack, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.
   Before Azoff joined as co-manager, it was mainly Paul Geary who was credited as Pumpkins manager going back to at least 2007 if not 2006.
   In other words, Geary and Paul should be credited as co-managers of Corgan and the Pumpkins, along with Azoff.
   You or I don’t know much about Azoff, though at least one article I found on Blabbermouth calls him a “talent titan.” But more importantly, it doesn’t look like he’s the typical corporate CEO, otherwise I don’t think Paul Geary, who used to be in recently reunited metal group Extreme, would’ve partnered with him in a bigtime management group.
   Now that Azoff is CEO of Ticketmaster, don’t expect prices to go down (even with the Live Nation merger) but you should expect better services from the company (the recent Springsteen debacle aside – probably a reason why he’s against the merger).
   If these companies are as artist-friendly as the Seals, Journeys and Corgans claim they are, that means we should get the most bang for our buck. Live Nation artist U2, with its “360” tour this year, promises a high quality view for every seat in the stadiums they play, even in nosebleed seats. We shall soon see how good that promise is.
   But to single out Azoff and insinuate that major artists who support the merger only do so because he manages or co-manages them is not fair or supported by the facts. It’s slimy journalism. Scott at Stereogum did the same thing and I called him out for it.
   Also, you must have worked hard to find Corgan lyrics you think are bad (since he’s written some of the best lyrics and songs of his generation). If you don’t like Corgan, just say it and spill it out. It’s not hard to do.

3. Here is the Boston paper via Blabbermouth article on Paul Geary heading a management group with Azoff and Paul that manages the Pumpkins, from 2008:
   http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=96798

4. I have no problem with Bill, Paul or Irving. I am just amazed that an act is in support of the merger and disappointed that none of the acts or either of the companies disclosed their relationship. A fact is a fact. More at https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/03/four-major-artists-lobby-for-ticketmaster-live-nation-merger-but-fail-to-disclose-azoff-connection.html

5. I don’t know if that 3-man management group, called AGP in the blabbermouth article was formerly called Front Line or is a separate company or is the same as Azoff Management, but either way, its run by the same top 3 people and Corgan/SP/Godsmack/Journey have not been managed by a CEO of Ticketmaster for any length of time, and that CEO (Azoff) shouldn’t be singled out as their manager or automatically thought of as a bad guy just because of his new job. He’s not even the head of Ticketmaster.
   Blaming him for why we all hate Ticketmaster is like blaming Obama for why this country’s economy collapsed (under Bush). It just isn’t right.

6. Disclosure of the “Azoff connection” is only important if he’s mentioned as part of a powerhouse 3-man management group and only as of the end of 2008 the CEO of Ticketmaster.
   You can’t cherry-pick your facts and then make unprovable insinuations about someone’s actions (Corgan, for example) based on what was or wasn’t disclosed (Ex. “Oooh, Corgan, Seal, etc didn’t diclose the Azoff connection therefore they must be in Ticketmaster’s pockets”).
   Now, my take is that Azoff shouldn’t be lumped in with what everybody thinks of as a company with a bunch of greedy corporate bastards. At least not yet. To me, Azoff being the CEO of Ticketmaster is a good sign for the company, a refreshing one and if major artists and respected managers have no problem with him, I don’t think fans have any reason to either.
   By the way Bruce, what do you base your statement on that Live Nation doesn’t care about artist development? I see long-term deals with U2 and Madonna as signs they do care. As far as younger bands on LN, I have no idea. Please enlighten me.

7. Anyone who supports this is bad badness….Monopolies are always bad…there are no exceptions.
   bbb
   wheatus.com

8. Shame on Hypebot for making a disagreement over busines into a personal matter and insulting an artist on a personal level. You sound like schoolkids – “your mama …” Grow up, and discuss the pros and cons like someone with an inkling about what’s going on. Regardless of who you agree with or disagree with, when you resort to personal insults, you embody everything that’s stupid about internet blogs, and expression.
   BTW: Agree with Wheatus – “monopolies are always bad… there are no exceptions.
   PS: Irving Azoff has been a titan in this business since the helping to launch Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon in the early ’70’s, then taking the Eagles to the next superstar level. Some people – in every field – are just smarter or better, or both, than everyone else. He’s one of those guys.
   Having said that, even though he might help Ticketmaster/Live Nation shareholders reap more gains, no monopoly will truly help the artists, the business, and, especially, the fans (customers).
   But that doesn’t mean Billy Corgan, or anyone else, can’t support his guy for whatever self-interest he has. Or not.

9. Bob Clifford, I echo your comments 100% and if you haven’t already, I think you should also speak your mind and call Stereogum shameless as well, for they slimed Corgan as well (that’s how I got to this hypoebot link in the first place). So many people just can’t put their personal grievances with Corgan aside or don’t understand that the merger doesn’t mean TM/LN will monopolize the live music industry – like you said, that would be bad for EVERYBODY. It’s not even a done deal yet, with the Justice Department being the body that okays the merger, I guess.

10. Chuck…I have no direct evidence, but the tone of your post tells me we swim in different streams….We are talking about a total monopoly here, I don’t see how it’s not. Can you tell me how Corgan is not supporting a monopoly before Congress without 1st disclosing his close business relationship with the monopoly?
    I for one am willing to say that Corgan is a bad guy for doing this. Tell me how he’s not.
    brendan b brown
    wheatus.com

11. I get the sense that you don’t like Corgan personally and are just using his support of the merger to call him a “bad” guy, so forget about him. More to the point, you don’t understand what a monopoly is if you think this merger will have a drastic impact on the viability of other ticket sale companies, since LN and TM are the two main avenues to buy entertainment tickets anyway – and until February, before distributing its own tickets, LN got its tickets through TM.
    With LN now acquiring TM, that makes the mega company a bit closer to but not exactly a monopoly of the entertainment industry, as the market share for LN and TM combined is an estimated 30% (and only increases to a whopping 80% if you include just concert ticket sales). The rest of the ticketing industry is small now and is made up most of resellers/legal scalpers.
    Look, I’m not comfortable with the merger (mostly because there’s been no guarantee by the CEOs of both companies that ticket prices will get under control), but I’m a realist who realizes that unless the federal gov’t does the unlikely and unpopular move of bailing out both TM and LN, the companies are making the only sensible move in these uncertain times: to merge into one company.
    In this economy, with the loss of money and stocks major companies and businesses have suffered (including LN and TM), more and more companies are merging, and the federal gov’t hasn’t blocked any of them – not even the XM/Sirius merger – due to antitrust concerns yet and I don’t expect the Justice Department will block the LN/TM for that reason either when all is said and done (if they want to be consistent with prior approvals).
    And so with this merger sooner or later becoming a reality, I guess it’s better to learn to live with it now rather than later, unless you’re going to make the bold move of boycotting LN/TM concerts. And to that I say good luck.

12. Chuck,
    Your response to me is preposterous. I know EXACTLY what a monopoly is. To claim that this merger will give fans MORE CHOICE and not explain how, is akin to FOX NEWS making unsubstantiated claims that Obama is not a US citizen….Hoping the statement will carry on as myth simply by it’s having been stated…That’s The Ontological Argument….
    Monopolies are defined by their ability to stamp out competition and manipulate the pricing of a commodity/product/service in a manner that negates natural supply and demand economics…. You said: “The rest of the ticketing industry is small now and is made up most of resellers/legal scalpers.”….are you telling me that THEY will represent “the competition”?…that the competition is after market? FAIL.
    I harbor no ill will against Corgan that isn’t the direct result of his support of this merger. I have never met him personally and I have given you no reason to assume otherwise….I believe that what he is doing here represents a horrific betrayal.
    The fact that you wish me good luck in boycotting TM LN is proof that you do in fact agree, this is a monopoly…otherwise, it would follow, there would be an alternative company for me to support and I wouldn’t need your “good luck”…pwned
    bbb
    wheatus.com

13. Wheatus, you are the preposterous one. Now you’re making crap up I never said (read: saying the merger provides fans MORE CHOICE for tickets). Your logic makes no sense either. How does me saying “good luck” boycotting TM/LN constitute proof I believe this is a monopoly? You have no idea what you are talking about if you really think this merger drastically changes the landscape of the ticketing industry.
    Wheatus, welcome to the real world where two competing companies that already lead an industry team up to form one giant company. It happened in the record company world – now there’s about 5 major record companies and no one is saying they are monopolizing the industry – the financial market world and now the ticketing industry.
    The fact that a company like Live Nation even grew to become a major player in the ticketing industry is proof that the market works and that Ticketmaster wasn’t the monopoly many claimed they were.
    Now the two, after working together for years have joined up as one. Sure it looks like one scary company but now there’s room for the next Live Nation to grow – one of those small companies, maybe Telecharge. And like I said, TM/LN combined don’t have control over 705% of the market share of the country’s entertainment industry and their combined 80% of control over ticketing sales in the concert industry was true before and during this merger. THAT, my friend is not a monopoly but they do have a major advantage over other smaller companies. But again, that was all true BEFORE this merger. Nothing has changed in this regard.
    So stop bitching over this merger or start boycotting. And again, I say good luck seeing your favorite bands then. Chances are, they will go through LN/TM now, just as they did before the merger.

14. Chuck,
    I cannot see/read your response….it’s appearing as code…
    It’s not my mac, browser, or ISP…I have tested it against other blogs…
    Please post again, that I might read it and respond…cheers
    bbb
    wheatus.com

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