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Irving Azoff | |
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 Azoff in 2018 | |
| Born | (1947-12-12)December 12, 1947 (age 77) Danville, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Known for | Chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature | |
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Irving Azoff (/ˈeɪzɒf/; born December 12, 1947) is an American businessman, who is chairman of Full Stop Management, a company that represents recording artists. During the course of his career, he has worked as an agent,personal manager,concert promoter,movie producer, independentrecord label owner, merchandiser,music publisher, andCEO of a record label.[1]
Since September 2013, he has been chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, a venture with theMadison Square Garden Company, prior to which he was chairman and CEO ofTicketmaster Entertainment and was executive chairman ofLive Nation Entertainment and CEO of Front Line Management. He is on the boards ofStarz Inc. andIMG.[2]
In 2012, he toppedBillboard's Power 100.[3] Labels founded by Azoff includeFull Moon Records andGiant Records.
Azoff was born into a Jewish family,[4] and raised inDanville, Illinois. He began working with bands while still a student atDanville High School and then in college at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
His first management client was Champaign-basedREO Speedwagon; his second wasDan Fogelberg.[5] In 1972, Azoff moved toLos Angeles with Fogelberg, where he worked for Geffen-Roberts Management. There he began working with theEagles, forming a relationship that has lasted more than forty years.
From 1983 to 1989, Azoff was chairman ofMCA Music Entertainment Group and is credited for turning around that label's fortunes.[6] According to Thomas R. King's bookThe Operator (2001),David Geffen manipulated Azoff into leaving MCA and going to Warner Music Group, where Azoff startedGiant Records. King writes that Geffen wanted Azoff out at MCA to clear the way for MCA to buy Geffen Records.[7] Geffen convincedMo Ostin at Warner Music to offer Irving Azoff a "dream" label deal. Giant Records operated for much of the 1990s until Azoff decided to return to concentrating on artist management.[8]
In October 2008,Ticketmaster announced it would acquire the management company Front Line Management Group, Inc. As part of the deal, Azoff, who was founder and chief executive officer of Front Line, became chief executive officer of Ticketmaster, and was named chairman of Live Nation in February 2011.[2]
In 2013, Azoff founded theperformance rights organisation Global Music Rights. The company administered publishing for artists includingMetallica,Bruce Springsteen,John Lennon andGeorge Harrison,Pearl Jam, andBruno Mars.[9] Later that year, Azoff unveiled Azoff MSG Entertainment, a venture withthe Madison Square Garden Company (MSG).[10] In addition to his role as chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, Azoff would be a consultant to MSG in connection with the management of its live event venues, including the Forum in Inglewood, CA and other MSG-managed buildings.[11]
In 2015, Azoff played a character based on himself in theDocumentary Now! parody ofHistory of the Eagles.[12] The same year, Azoff co-foundedOak View Group withTim Leiweke. The company is building theBelmont Park Arena as well as a new arena inMilan, Italy. Oak View Group is also part owner of problem hitCo-op Live arena in Manchester, together withCity Football Group and musicianHarry Styles.[13]
Azoff and Oliver Chastan co-founded Iconic Artists Group in 2018, an entertainment rights management company. In 2021, Iconic Artists Group acquired the catalogue ofDavid Crosby and a majority stake inthe Beach Boys' intellectual property.[14] In February 2024, the company acquired the catalogue of British singerRod Stewart for close to $100 million.[15][16]
In 2019, Azoff and his wife Shelli, along with a consortium of Los Angeles-based investors, purchasedThe Apple Pan, one of Los Angeles' oldest continuing operating restaurants,[17] as well asNate n' Al, founded in 1945.[18] The following January, Azoff was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as anAhmet Ertegun Award winner.[19]
Azoff has co-produced the moviesFast Times at Ridgemont High,Urban Cowboy,Jack Frost,Above The Rim, andThe Inkwell, and was executive producer ofThe Hurricane.[20] He has been named "Manager of the Year" by two touring industry trade publications. In 2012, Azoff appeared inArtifact, a documentary film about the modern music business focused on the legal battle betweenThirty Seconds to Mars and record labelEMI.[citation needed]
In 2025, Azoff assembled 27 artists in order to run a so-called 'FireAid' concert for the victims of theJanuary 2025 Southern California wildfires. In an interview withTheWrap about the concert, Azoff claimed that he hadn't slept for two weeks preparing for the event; he also said that its audience would "understand how bad this has been and have compassion for the people and start the healing process".[21] Since the concert, there has been multiple inquiries to how the FireAid concert funds were distributed, with multiple sources reporting that none of the funds had reached victims of the fires and were instead distributed to different local charities.[22][23]
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In 2023, a former housekeeper named Rosa Martinez sued Irving and his wife for back wages and wrongful termination. They were also accused of various abuses including burning the housekeeper with cigarettes, making her clean dirty sex toys and for firing her because she needed a hysterectomy.[24]
In 2018, the Radio Music License Committee made anti-trust claims against Azoff's Global Music Rights, LLC, aperformance rights organization.[25][26] Asettlement was reached in 2022.[27]
Azoff MSG Entertainment took part in a lawsuit against the city ofInglewood to stop the construction of anew arena for theLos Angeles Clippers in Inglewood alongside residents of the local neighbourhood.[28] During the summer of 2019, it was reported that Azoff was working with James L. Dolan of theMadison Square Garden Company to prevent the competing arena from being built similar to the tactics used to stop the construction of the proposed West Side Stadium in New York City in 2005.[29] In March 2019, leaked emails revealed that Azoff attempted to lure theLos Angeles Lakers back to The Forum after their lease at the Staples Center was up.[30]
In 2018,Nicki Minaj accused Azoff of orchestrating asmear campaign against her upcoming tour;[31] however, he later became her manager.[32] Additionally, his performance rights organization Global Music Rights manages most of her song writing credits.
In 2024, American rock duothe Black Keys canceled their tour and fired Azoff as their manager after they had to cancel their US tour due to low ticket sales.[33] In response to the claim by a representative of Azoff that the split was an 'amicable parting', drummerPatrick Carney said, "I mean, we fired their ass. Shit happens."[33][34]
In 1978, he married Rochelle "Shelli" Cumsky.[35] They have four children, and the eldest son, Jeffrey Azoff, is a partner in Full Stop Management.[36]
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