Irving Azoff, executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, is arguably the most power man in live music history, according to a profile of the concert and ticketing titan in the New York Times. The feature discusses the influence his Front Line Management company, which he sold to Ticketmaster prior its merger with Live Nation; his penchant for displaying his middle finger; how he often bullied competitors and business rivals into taking “the Irving deal,” where 90 percernt of revenues went to Azoff’s clients; and how he once sent a boa constrictor as a message gift to an artist manager. The piece also talks to Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, and details how Ticketmaster and Live Nation came together to create the uber-powerful live entertainment brand, and how it likely convinced Department of Justice to approve the merger.
