Irving Azoff Session

D7 Video: Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff

Beth Callaghan in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 10:01 am PT

Irving Azoff hopes to pull off the deal of a lifetime by merging Ticketmaster Entertainment and Live Nation–in effect, covering both ends of the live music spectrum. In order to do so, he has to convince Washington D.C and face a range of skeptics that includes Bruce Springsteen. He takes the stage with Kara Swisher to talk about the company and the future of the music business.

Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff: How to Make Money While Music Becomes “Demonetized”

Peter Kafka in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 9:31 am PT

As a longtime music executive and talent manager, Irving Azoff has had to find a way to work with everyone from inebriated rock stars to David Geffen. But he’s never had to placate Washington, D.C. before. But that’s what Azoff needs to do in order to pull off the deal of a lifetime: A merger between his Ticketmaster Entertainment, which dominates the ticketing business, and Live Nation, which dominates the live concert business. When Azoff isn’t busy trying to convince people that the merger doesn’t violate antitrust regulations, or running his ticketing company, he manages the careers of everyone from the Eagles to Christina Aguilera. Note the one thing in the music business he doesn’t spend time on: Selling recorded music.