Irving Azoff

Irving Azoff served as the Chairman of Ticketmaster and was influential in securing approval for the company's merger with Live Nation Entertainment. Following the merger, Azoff served as the executive chairman of Live Nation. Prior to the merger, Ticketmaster had been the subject of multiple investigations into anti-competitive practices.[18][19][20][21]

The merger faced many legal hurdles and opposition. The merger was opposed by members of the United States Congress, business rivals such as AEG Live, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), whose members include Google, Oracle, Microsoft, Yahoo, Intuit, and eBay.[22][23] Despite the opposition, the merger was still approved in 2010.

In 2018, the United States Department of Justice launched an investigation following complains that Live Nation had engaged in anti-competitive practices following the merger. AEG has alleged that Live Nation had pressured them into using Ticketmaster as a venue. If AEG had refused, they would have lost out on business. The allegations of antitrust violations have resulted in a re-examination of the merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Much of the initial criticisms of the merger has been re-affirmed.[24][25] Irving Azoff's battles with rivals AEG (who are alleging antitrust violations) have been well documented, especially in regard to competition in the Los Angeles and New York City markets.[26]

In a 2018 lawsuit, Radio Music License Committee made monopolization claims in a California court against Azoff's Global Music Rights, LLC, a performance rights organization. They claim that the company is not being held to the same consent decrees as BMI and ASCAP. The matter is being investigated by the DOJ. It is claimed that the company is in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[27][28]

Controversy was generated when Azoff MSG Entertainment took part in a lawsuit against the city of Inglewood in an attempt to stop the construction of a new arena for the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood. The new arena would compete directly with The Forum which is owned by The Madison Square Garden Company.[29] Another lawsuit from a local community group was filed to block the construction of the venue in June 2018. Inglewood mayor James Butts suggested that the lawsuit was brought about by "business interests from out-of-state", suggesting that Azoff and the Madison Square Garden Company were using this group to ensure that they don't have a competing arena nearby.[30] The attempts to block the arena are similar to the tactics successfully used by the Madison Square Garden Company to stop the construction of the proposed West Side Stadium in New York City in 2005. That proposed stadium would have directly competed with Madison Square Garden.[31] In December 2018, the LA Clippers sued the Madison Square Garden company alleging that they were trying to prevent the construction of a competing arena.[32] During the summer of 2019, it was reported that Azoff was still working with James L. Dolan of the Madison Square Garden Company to prevent the competing arena from being built. Amongst the tactics being used to prevent the construction of the arena are lobbying efforts in the 2018 Inglewood mayoral election, financially supporting community groups which oppose the arena and helping to fund lawsuits seeking to prevent the arena's construction.[33]

In March 2019, leaked emails revealed that Azoff attempted to lure the Los Angeles Lakers back to The Forum after their lease at the Staples Center was up. Despite nothing coming of the proposal, Azoff's proposal to re-purpose The Forum was seen as a way of preventing the LA Clippers from building their own arena in Inglewood and ensuring that the Madison Square Garden Company got an unfair advantage over rival AEG, which already owns part of the Lakers.[34]

When the 60th Annual Grammy Awards were held in New York City, Azoff informed former MusiCares Executive VP, Dana Tomarken that the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Fleetwood Mac would be held at Radio City Music Hall (which is owned by The Madison Square Garden Company) and not at the Barclays Center (which is operated by AEG). Dana Tomarken had been negotiating a deal to have the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute to Fleetwood Mac to be held at the Barclays Center. Neil Portnow, president of The Recording Academy, decided to have it at Radio City Music Hall without consulting Tomarken, who was instead informed of this change by Irving Azoff as head of Azoff MSG Entertainment. Tomarken subsequently made a claim of wrongful termination.[35] TIn May 2019, it was reported that by having the MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall, Oak View Group which is associated with Azoff received 300 of the highest price tickets to the MusiCares event. Oak View Group was supposed to sell them as a package deal which also included tickets to the Grammy Awards itself. MusiCares was promised to received $1.5 million from those tickets according to Dana Tomarken. Those 300 tickets were not sold and were then returned to MusiCares, therefore resulting in a loss.[36]

In 2018, Nicki Minaj accused Azoff of orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Minaj alleged that Azoff contacted people in the media to say negative things about her and her tour. She had suggested that he had used his influence through Ticketmaster in a way that harmed her tour.[37] As of 2019, Minaj was managed by Azoff, which was announced on her Queen Radio Show.[38]