This series of empire-expanding triumphs brings to mind the memorable line from a song by Azoff’s longtime clients Steely Dan: “He’s the king of the world, as far as I know.”
Since 1971, when he came to
In 1983, he accepted Sid Sheinberg’s offer to take the reins of MCA Records, reshaping the moribund company into an industry powerhouse. In a dramatic demonstration of his unequaled deal-making ability, Azoff sold his Front Line Management to MCA when he took the job, buying it back at a drastically reduced price in 1989, when he left to launch Giant. And while Giant Records stands as a minor speed bump in Azoff’s meteoric career arc, he made up for it by quietly rebuilding Front Line into a formidable company during those same years, capping it off by reuniting with his former partner, the enigmatic Howard Kaufman. Consequently, as the music business staggers through its worst period ever in this decade, Azoff has never been more successful, powerful or universally respected than he is today.
Now that Azoff has control of Ticketmaster, the question on everyone’s lips is, what will he do with it? As a savvy, opportunistic businessman, he obviously sees the potential of TM’s heavily trafficked site as an online retail center for the music and merchandise of his stable of artists. But in order for Ticketmaster.com to become a viable destination for his brands, the site must be radically revamped. Although 144 million tickets were sold on the site in 2007, it has drawn countless complaints from irate consumers, who say that what should be a simple transaction is a maddening experience in reality.
Most believe that transforming Ticketmaster.com into an attractive and intuitive online environment along the lines of iTunes, Amazon and eBay should be at the very top of Azoff’s to-do list. This will be a daunting challenge, but history has taught us never to underestimate the man’s now-legendary Midas touch.
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