Azoff takes on YouTube

Some 20,000 works composed by popular musicians including The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, Boston, Foreigner, John Lennon, Smokey Robinson, Chris Cornell, and George and Ira Gershwin could soon be removed from YouTube - just as the Google streaming giant launches it's YouTube Music Key, it's much-anticipated subscription service that will compete with Spotify and Pandora. why? Well band manager, ex Live Nation chief and now boss of  Global Music Rights (GMR) Irving Azoff (right) has told The Hollywood Reporter that he is prepared to take 42 of his clients away from YouTube. Azoff had already fired a shot accross the bows of US music colleciton societies BMI and ASCAP saying "The way fans listen to music is evolving daily" adding "GMR is going to give songwriters and publishers an opportunity to engage in meaningful licensing for their intellectual property. The trampling of writers' rights in the digital marketplace without any regard to their contribution to the creative process will no longer be tolerated."

Tedderr and Williams join Azoff's GMR

Both Ryan Tedder and Pharrell Williams have signed up to a new performing rights body called Global Music Rights, which is part of the new entertainment company set up by one time Live Nation chief Irving Azoff and it is expected that Williams will leave ASCAP by October 1st this year.   The Global Music Rights roster is expected to encompass between 30 and 60 writers, with about half of them expected to be drawn from the Azoff Music Management portfolio and GMR willl represent them in the performing rights area.

Azoff takes a comedy stake

Iving Azoff is buying another business via his Azoff MSG Entertainment firm, the JV between the former Live Nation top man and the Madison Square Garden Company. Following recent deals to take a 50% stake in marketing firm Pop2Life and brand partnerships agency Burns, Azoff is now buying half of comedy promoter and producer the Levity Entertainment Group. Levity books and promotes comedy shows across the US, runs its own network of comedy clubs and produces comedy content for TV and online.

Azoff goes acquisitive

Former Live Nation co-chief Irving Azoff's new venture  has bought 50% of a US-based experiential marketing agency called Pop2Life. Having departed Live Nation right at the end of 2012, Azoff announced the launch of a new music business in partnership with the Madison Square Garden Company last September. Having kept on some of his long-term artist management clients after exiting Live Nation, at the time Azoff said his new venture would also work in TV production, live event branding and digital marketing.

Azoff launches new venture

Irving Azoff, who left Live Nation and Ticketmaster at the end of 2012  has announced a new venture with The Madison Square Garden Company, led by his long-term friend and ally James L Dolan. The new venture will be called Azoff MSG Entertainment, a new business that will include artist management, TV production, live event branding and digital marketing divisions. According to Billboard, under the partnership Azoff will bring to the table the management business he took with him from Live Nation, plus various other in-development ventures. MSG Co will pump $125 million into the new company as well as providing credit facilities, taking a 50% stake in return. Under the alliance Azoff will provide consultancy to the wider MSG Co group, and MSG bosses will provide advice to the new firm and it appears Azoff will bring a management roster including The Eagles, Christina Aguilera, Van Halen, Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham to the venture.