Irving Azoff: Last News

New York rapper-producer Cash Cobain has signed Giant Music, a new label venture from veteran industry exec Irving Azoff. To celebrate the deal, he’s shared a new track titled “Slizzy God” — a bouncy, 90-second jam that’s free of the sample drill flips he’s best known for but tips its hat to popular source material in the lyrics nevertheless.

LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells said Paramount Global, along with Raine Ventures and Irving Azoff of Iconic Artists Group, led a $15 million funding round for the hip-hop platform, which has also signed a first look deal with Par.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic For more than half a century, John Fogerty stood as the poster boy for all musicians who’d ever signed away rights to their publishing or master recordings and been unable to buy them back. Over time, Paul McCartney and then Taylor Swift came to be symbols, as well, of artists who tried and failed to win full ownership of their own music. But even Swift’s radical decision to re-record all her old albums, to do an end run around her former label selling her masters, may not count as quite as bold as the stance Fogerty took for several decades, during which he refused to perform any of his classic late ’60s and early ’70s Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in protest of his inability to purchase publishing rights for that material.

DEALSFormer BMG UK President Alexi Cory-Smith has formally launched her new business, Bella Figura Music, and confirmed a number of deals that are already in the bag. Backed by private equity fund Freshstream, the firm has acquired a stack of rights over the last year from the likes of Guy Chambers, David Gray and Darrell Brown.

DEALSCardi B is now managed by Irving Azoff’s Full Stop Management. Her direct manager there, Shawn Holiday, tells Billboard that she has new music on the way in 2023.————————————————–APPOINTMENTSPico Cibelli has been named as the new President of Warner Music Italy. He joins from Sony Music Italy.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor U2 is joining forces with Irving and Jeffrey Azoff’s Full Stop Management after nearly 10 years with Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers manager Guy Oseary, sources tell Variety. A rep for Full Stop had no comment; the news was first reported by Hits. While the group played two stadium dates last year, they have largely been off the road since their massive “Innocence and Experience” trek in 2017-2018, and it seems likely a new album is in the works if not nearly done. The band has not released a new album since “Songs of Experience” in December of 2017. Earlier this week, singer Bono announced a book tour in support of his forthcoming memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” which arrives on Nov. 1; he will tour North America and Europe throughout November.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJohn Mayer — singer-songwriter, virtuoso guitarist, solo artist, member of Dead & Co and definitely the funniest speaker at Variety’s Hitmakers event last December — has signed with CAA in all areas globally.He has won seven Grammy Awards out of 19 nominations and since his 2001 debut album “Room for Squares”  has earned three No. 1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, with the triple-platinum “Heavier Things” (2003), double-platinum “Battle Studies” (2009), and gold-certified “Born and Raised” (2012). He has sold an estimated 20 million-plus albums worldwide.

A Hollywood Walk of Fame star will be dedicated to the late Paul Walker in 2023. The Fast and the Furious actor's star comes 10 years after his death - he died in a car crash in 2013. Walker's star is one of three posthumous awards being granted next year; the late Imitation of Life actress Juanita Moore and singer-songwriter Jenni Rivera will be honoured with their own Hollywood Walk of Fame stars as well.

Paul Walker and Jenni Rivera will receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. The pair are set to be celebrated posthumously by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, when they, and 22 other celebrities, receive their own stars on the iconic Walk of Fame next year, Deadline reports. Paul, who was just 40 when he died in a car crash in Los Angeles in 2013, will be celebrated in the Motion Pictures category alongside Vince Vaughn, John Waters, Uma Thurman, Bill Pullman, Ludacris and the late Juanita Moore.

Wilson Chapman editorUma Thurman, Lenny Kravitz, Mindy Kaling and the Jonas Brothers are among those receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.Ludacris, Bill Pullman, Thurman, Vince Vaughn and John Waters will receive stars in the motion pictures category, along with posthumous stars for Juanita Moore and Walker. In the television category, stars will be given to Jon Favreau, Kaling, Martin Lawrence, Ralph Macchio, Garrett Morris and Ellen Pompeo.

Oak View Group, the global venue developer/investor co-founded by Irving Azoff and run by Tim Leiweke, is building a new $3 billion entertainment district in Las Vegas on 25 acres including an 850,000 square foot arena, amphitheater, casino and hotel.

Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group last week announced a deal with the family of the late Nat King Cole which sees the company take an interest in the musician’s recording and publishing rights, as well as his name and likeness, plus an archive of TV shows.Co-founded by veteran artist manager Azoff, Iconic Artists Group has been competing with the various investment funds that are seeking to buy up the music rights of heritage artists and songwriters, but also has a focus on managing and monetising the brands and trademarks of such acts as well, as is the case with this deal with the Cole estate.Confirming said deal, Cole’s children Timolin and Casey Cole said: “We’re delighted to entrust our father’s legacy to Irving Azoff and the team at Iconic. Through the years, it’s been amazing to see how dad’s music continues to inspire and bring people together, and with Iconic at the helm, we know his musical legacy will endure and continue to grow”.Meanwhile, Azoff added: “We are THRILLED that Nat King Cole’s family is trusting us with his musical legacy.

DEALSLittle Mix’s Jade Thirlwall has signed a solo deal with Sony’s RCA. She’s also signed a management deal with Irving Azoff’s Full Stop Management. This all follows her 2019 publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing.Warner Music has signed Indian star Diljit Dosanjh to a global record deal.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCity of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., will honor Republic Records founders Monte and Avery Lipman (pictured above, R-L) at its 2022 Spirit of Life Gala in the fall. The prestigious award will be presented to them at a gala dinner — the first Spirit of Life Gala since 2019.According to the announcement, the Spirit of Life Award is City of Hope’s most prestigious honor and is presented to an esteemed community of industry leaders around the world who have made a significant commitment to improving the lives of others through the advancement of research and clinical innovation and the delivery of personalized, compassionate care.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterIrving Azoff’s music rights firm has settled its five-year legal battle with the group that represents more 10,000 radio stations, ending a fight that threatened to undermine the 80-year-old arrangement under which artists are paid for commercial airplay.Azoff’s Global Music Rights and the Radio Music License Committee filed a joint stipulation on Monday to dismiss the antitrust lawsuits that they had filed against each other in 2016. The two sides also announced in a press release that a majority of commercial radio stations have agreed to a long-term license with GMR, which allows the settlement to take effect.GMR launched in 2013 as a direct challenge to ASCAP and BMI, the performance rights organizations that control more than 90% of music copyrights.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, 41, was attending the David Kordansky Gallery for a show when she rocked up wearing a floor-length black trench coat and huge bug-like black sunglasses. The coat had a large collar and was low-cut showing off ample cleavage while being tied tightly around her small waistline.

Kim Kardashian took the plunge in a slinky ensemble when she was spotted heading to an event at theDavid Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles this Saturday.The 41-year-old reality TV superstar was wrapped up in a black leather overcoat that matched her sleek goggle-like sunglasses.She could be seen walking arm in arm with Shelli Azoff, the glamorous longtime wife of top-flight music executive Irving Azoff. Off she goes:Kim Kardashian took the plunge in a slinky ensemble when she was spotted heading to an event at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles this SaturdayIt recently emerged that she wassurprised and upset by the claims her estranged husband Kanye West made in public about their co-parenting equation.In a viral extended clip for a new Hollywood Unlocked interview obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Kanye, 44, alleged that Kim's security recently barred him from entering her house.

Stevie Nicks has made her first public statement on her bandmate and ex-partner Lindsey Buckingham‘s exit from Fleetwood Mac three years ago.The guitarist was fired from the veteran group back in 2018, and was replaced by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn.

Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are sparring over the former’s departure from Fleetwood Mac.

Three years after his latest departure from Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham is still annoyed about how he was ejected from the group. So much so that his comments about it in a new interview have prompted rebuttals from both vocalist Stevie Nicks and the band’s manager Irving Azoff.At this point, you might say something cynical along the lines of, “well, I guess he’s got a new album to promote”.

Lindsey Buckingham has said his firing from Fleetwood Mac “harmed the legacy” that the band established over 43 years.The guitarist was fired from the legendary group back in 2018, and was replaced by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn.Buckingham’s ex-partner and bandmate Stevie Nicks later explained that the musician was kicked out because he wanted too much time off to concentrate on his solo career.He denied that was the case and claimed the band’s manager, Irving Azoff, called him at home in LA to pass on a message from Nicks.