Azoff Sounds Off on Biz, 'Idiot' Retailers

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:21 am

Courtesy of yahoonews.com...

Sunday July 13, 09:31 AM

Azoff Sounds Off on Biz, 'Idiot' Retailers

For 30 years, Irving Azoff has been a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. He's had a direct hand in almost every facet of the business, as an artist manager, label executive, concert promoter, music publisher and merchandiser.
Never one to pull punches, Azoff has always been a straight shooter: quick to give his opinion and even quicker to back it up with action.

His clients include the Eagles, Don Henley. Azoff is also co-chairman of Concerts West, a role he hints will change in the near future.

As chairman of MCA Music Entertainment Group in the '80s, Azoff helped diversify the company into concert promotion, venue operation and merchandising. Following his departure from MCA, he launched Giant Records in 1989, a joint venture with Warner Music Group. WMG purchased the company in 2001, and Azoff returned full time to his first love, artist management.

Q: YOU'VE BEEN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN TIMES AS DIRE AS THESE?

A: No, this is about as bad as it gets. I thank God I got in the business when I got in and that I'm not starting now. I believe that music is a form of entertainment and when all the changes are done, there's still going to be music, so you just ride it out and see where it ends up.

Q: YOU JUST LANDED JEWEL AS A CLIENT. HER MOTHER/FORMER MANAGER SAYS THE INDUSTRY'S TOUGH TIMES MAKE THE "MANAGEMENT ROLE AS GUARD DOG EXTREMELY IMPORTANT." HOW HAS YOUR ROLE AS GUARD DOG CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS?

A: The role of guard dog has changed over the years for me in that I don't feel that any one manager can do a great job for any one act anymore.

One, all of the areas of the business have consolidated, so unless they realize they're going to have to deal with you in the next week or the next month on another act, they don't really care about you.

Two, the media has become so overwhelming, you need a staff just to help you reach out and find all the opportunities. Whether it be corporate sponsorships or just impressions, you can't rely on radio or touring anymore. We have two people dealing with promotion to deal with the label and directly with radio. We've got a whole touring department, we've got our own publicity people, we've got an international division, we have a new-media division.

If you're just a manager as opposed to a company these days, I don't think you can touch all the opportunities that are available to each artist. You need massive impressions to reach the public.

Q: IF THE MUSIC BUSINESS AS WE KNOW IT ENDED TODAY, WHAT WOULD THE NEW MODEL LOOK LIKE?

A: Well, none of the conglomerates would be in the record business, because it's not lucrative enough. I think it would look more like it did in the days of Atlantic and A&M: a of small companies in every area. If you're counting radio too, it would be great if we could unconsolidate every area of the business and start over. It would be healthy, but it ain't going to happen. Viacom owns every video channel; there are only a few radio chains left, only a few retail chains left.

Q: YOU HAD THE OPTION TO START A NEW LABEL AS PART OF YOUR DEAL WITH WMG. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO DO THAT?

A: We built a deal in there for me to sign artists, but I haven't found anyone to sign in two years. I don't want to start another label.

Q: BUT YOU HAVE STAYED ACTIVE IN CONCERT PROMOTION VIA YOUR AFFILIATION WITH CONCERTS WEST. WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR ROLE there?

A: My role in Concerts West is very simple. I brokered a deal for Anschutz Entertainment Group to purchase Concerts West originally and played a prominent role in staffing the company, staffing Golden Voice, bringing Randy Phillips and Jay Marciano aboard. I initially served as co-chairman.

What I set out to accomplish was to help Tim Leiweke provide a second major option for the business of concert promotion. Now the is very successful, we're currently in discussions for my role to end.

Q: YOU'VE BEEN A VERY VOCAL PROPONENT OF ARTISTS' RIGHTS, INCLUDING ATTEMPTING TO NEGOTIATE FOR THE ARTISTS' SIDE AGAINST THE LABELS IN LAST YEAR'S PROPOSED REPEAL OF THE MUSIC-INDUSTRY EXEMPTION TO CALIFORNIA'S SEVEN-YEAR STATUTE LEGISLATION. ISN'T YOUR STANCE SURPRISING, GIVEN THAT YOU'VE RUN RECORD COMPANIES?

A: I've always been pro-artist. I'm pro-artist because I'm a manager and because I never imagined that the record business would end up in the hands of five multi-nationals, only one or two of which are U.S.-owned. I'm not anti-anybody; I'm just pro artist., we're all going to do whatever we can that's for the good of the artist.

Q: HOW INVOLVED WILL YOU BE IF THE SEVEN-YEAR STATUTE REPEAL IS REINTRODUCED?

A: The seven-year statute's far less important than a lot of other issues, like piracy and accounting. It matters, but I'm just saying it isn't the biggest problem we face.

Q: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSN. OF AMERICA'S DECISION TO SUE INDIVIDUALS FOR ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING?

A: I think they had no choice. I think they would have preferred not to, but it was the only route they had left, and these are desperate times and I support them in that. I hope it has an effect. You own a grocery store and they come in and shoplift stuff off your shelves; are you going to worry about pissing them off? It's stealing. People are stealing. Maybe it will wake up the judges to do their job.

Q: A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT RETAILERS VOICED THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE EAGLES MAKING A DEAL WITH BEST BUY TO SELL EXCLUSIVELY FOR A LIMITED TIME A DVD SINGLE OF "HOLE IN THE WORLD." WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE REACTION?

A: No. What the idiot independent retailers fail to understand is this is an audio visual device. a 5.1 music video, a stereo music video, a behind-the-scenes of the making of the video and making of the tour. It's not a record. It's an audio visual DVD. I took the first 30 days to have Best Buy pay the initial marketing costs. We have orders through Bayside of over 150,000 that we're shipping right now on the "Hole in the World" DVD. I couldn't care less. They don't understand. They're actually making themselves look really foolish.

Q: ARE YOU GOING TO RELEASE THE EAGLES' ALBUM EXCLUSIVELY TO ONE RETAILER?

A: What album? It's not done. I haven't contemplated that, but I can't imagine a scenario where we would. But I wish I could find a way to not give it to the independent guys. Forget about giving it to one -- I wish I could think of a legal way not to sell it to the jerks that complained. You can quote me.

Reuters/Billboard

http://au.news.yahoo.com/030712/11/ktuq.html

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 7:42 am

Whadda asshole. And the Eagles are all assholes. [Hell, I'm an asshole. In fact, *you're* all a bunch of assholes, too.]

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 8:49 am

Interestingly, I have begun to hear rumors, in online groups, about the Eagles squabbling on their recent tour, especially Don Henley, for some reason. More news on this come, I'm sure.

All and all, as a consumer, I don't appreciate his feelings about the independent record store owners. They have a legitimate gripe, being shut out of this new release for the first 30 days, and hopefully they will continue with an embargo against these, and other Eagles issued releases...with the customers' support of course.

It's about time to slap these smart ass Music groups around...the bigger the better !

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:37 am

Well, it *is* kind of funny. Here's a guy bitching about the music industry slump, while at the same time thumbing his nose at independent retailers. Whaaaah? Truth be told, were I as rich as this Azoff fucker I'd be an insufferable prick, too. So more power to ya, *pal*!

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:43 am

Well, to be fair, he realizes that BB/CC is the place where the MOST of the recorded music is going to be sold, soon, so, I'm sure he looked at the numbers that indies push, BEFORE he mouthed off. He is just going with the Future.

Who he is REALLY hurting, are the fans, but this is the same attitude that the music companies and BB/CC have towards the consumer, anyway, so he's being "safe" again.

You have to give him points for being honest, and take away points from the consumer for "eating" his/their crap.

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 5:52 pm

Wal-Mart/BB/CC are responsible for something like half of all sales of "hit" CDs. Indie retailers and online sellers "get stuck" with the smaller titles. Woe be to Azoff should he ever be foolish enough to sign an unknown artist and need those indie retailers until he can hype the group to WM/BB/CC status.

Sorry, Mikey, but I don't believe the future for the industry is any brick and mortar store, however huge. It's all gonna be online, dude, either as high-speed downloads or the purchase of a ready-made. Why get off your ass and into the car when you can stay on your ass in the first place?

Don't know what you mean by the fans getting hurt by his attitude. And if being an asshole gets you points for "being honest," why is it I have very few friends? And just who keeps tabs of all these points, anyways?

Rspaight · Postby **Rspaight** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 8:58 pm

I do.

Ryan

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:16 pm

Ron wrote:Sorry, Mikey, but I don't believe the future for the industry is any brick and mortar store, however huge. It's all gonna be online, dude, either as high-speed downloads or the purchase of a ready-made. Why get off your ass and into the car when you can stay on your ass in the first place?

Tell the people who own Tower and AOL that !

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:20 pm

Rspaight wrote:I do.

Ooooh. Well, that being the case, then you and I should have a heart-to-heart as I kinda don't think that the points have been tallied properly. I mean, shouldn't my lot in life be just a weee bit better than it is now, what with many, many years of 100% candor? Sure I've alienated friends and family alike. But hey, that's the price one pays for being honest and I've got no problem with that. Who needs friends, anyways? But why the hell aren't I stinking rich??

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 9:26 pm

mikenycLI wrote:
Ron wrote:Sorry, Mikey, but I don't believe the future for the industry is any brick and mortar store, however huge. It's all gonna be online, dude, either as high-speed downloads or the purchase of a ready-made. Why get off your ass and into the car when you can stay on your ass in the first place?

Tell the people who own Tower and AOL that !

Tower's certainly aware of it. Haven't they been closing stores of late? Actually, they recently sold their Tokyo store which had been, I believe, their biggest world-wide. AOL? Where do they fit in this scenario?

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 10:32 pm

As of the first week of this June, Tower's lender, CIT Group, has given the company until Sept. 30, to comply with a $100 million dollar revolving credit facility, that was originally due in May.

Tower, among other retail outlets somehow sought solice, that joining the gang and getting in on the digital highway was going to save them. In January, who knows for how much, Tower, entered into a joint venture with Best Buy Co., MTS Inc.'s Tower Records, Trans World Entertainment Corp., Wherehouse Entertainment Inc., Virgin Entertainment Group and Hastings Entertainment Inc. -- to get a controlling stake in Los Angeles-based Echo Networks Inc.. At the time of the creation of the consortium, this Echo Networks thing, was going to develope some kind of "competing digital offering", that may include "the ability to bundle digital music files with CDs, and their ability to tailor their offerings to their customers' buying habits." One hitch though....The success of this Thing, depends on that "Echo still has to obtain a complete set of licenses from the record labels before it can offer a competitive service." Echo feels that "the retailers' involvement in Echo should help it win favorable terms from the labels, given that the retailers, like the labels, don't want to undermine CD sales."

Specifically, the spokesman for Tower, was desirious of something that would "deliver digital files directly to shoppers' portable music players in stores, taking advantage of faster Internet connections than consumers have at home."
Of course, with Tower's predicament, all of this is just dreaming, if Tower files Chapter 11 on Sept. 30.

Until the fall, came AOL, had lots of hopes about the gold in the digital horizons, and was the standard of how high in the sky, the money pile would be in the internet, and we all know what happened to that dream...it came crashing down on their heads and their investors' bank accounts and stock porfolios. Their bleeding a million customers a year, at last count.

Digital may be the future, but it aint here yet....by a long shot !

Here's some links to what I've been speaking about Tower....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... cords_dc_1

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-e ... 4416.story

Rspaight · Postby **Rspaight** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 7:40 am

Ron wrote:
Rspaight wrote:I do.

Ooooh. Well, that being the case, then you and I should have a heart-to-heart as I kinda don't think that the points have been tallied properly. I mean, shouldn't my lot in life be just a weee bit better than it is now, what with many, many years of 100% candor? Sure I've alienated friends and family alike. But hey, that's the price one pays for being honest and I've got no problem with that. Who needs friends, anyways? But why the hell aren't I stinking rich??

I think you're overlooking that little incident in 1987.

I'm not.

Ryan

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 4:49 pm

Shit. I needed the job. And yes, I may have been a tad conciliatory during the interview. Ah, what's the use. OK. OK. I washed the interviewer's car. It's not like I sucked him off or anything.

mikenycLI · Postby **mikenycLI** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 4:55 pm

*kiss*kiss*kiss*kiss*kiss*kiss*kiss*

Whatever it takes !

Ron · Postby **Ron** » Fri Jul 18, 2003 6:46 pm

Whatever it takes, indeed. But I lost a lifetime's worth of points.