1. Irving Azoff
In recorded music sales content is not king, distribution is king. Irving controls superstar sales at Wal-Mart, the number one physical distributor. And, as he's been quoted ad infinitum, the digital sales at the iTunes Store for the Eagles suck, don't equal those from one live performance, so what difference does online recorded music distribution really make?
As for live distribution... Let's see, Irving built the AEG powerhouse and Live Nation needs his talent stable to make its numbers. Furthermore, the power shifted from promoter to act thirty five years ago, when Led Zeppelin ruled the Earth and the 90/10 deal became standard. And why not, a lot of the venues are open, anyone can book them, and unless you control all of them, an act can always find someone else to pony up the bucks, assuming AEG and Live Nation won't. And they will.
Content is truly king in the music business. And Irving controls content. Sure, Universal has got a phenomenal catalog, all the major labels do. But although the records live on, in many cases, the acts do not. The majors only get revenue from recording. Whereas Front Line commissions EVERYTHING!
Front Line is the behemoth, more powerful than any other entity in the music business. It can dictate terms. It can trade favors with Fortune 500 companies. As for radio... Is radio where it's at, or is it really just about gate receipts?
Check the billing for the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett. Never mind Aerosmith and the plethora of other acts Irving controls.
Sure, Irving's not developing new acts. But that's because it's called the music BUSINESS, not music CHARITY! He'll let YOU develop the act, and then he'll steal it or bring you inside to manage it.
Furthermore, Irving has neutralized so many of the players, put them on his team, made them cohorts instead of adversaries. Both Barry Diller and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. have kicked their money in. As well as Jim Dolan.
Watch Irving. Like Steve Jobs, he's learned from his mistakes. He's entered a new era of power. Study his actions. Unlike Doug Morris and the other major label heads, he's two steps AHEAD of the game.
