IAG Ticketmaster Buys Stake In Azoff’s Frontline

Barry Diller’s IAG InterActive has bought a signifigant stake in Iriving Azoff and Howard Kaufman’s mega-management firm Frontline.

IAG also owns Ticketmaster and the move may be part of a plan to strengthen the ticket giant’s hand in the
live music market the year before its important contract with Live Nation expires.  In fact, Live Nation along with Warner Music Group were two other suitors for Frontline.

The deal gives Azoff increasing clout across an even broader spectrum of the music industry at a time when personal managers and the talent they represent are becoming more powerful than the companies who put out their records or play their songs. 

Is this also the start of an SFX/Clear Channel/Live Nation style roll up of the personal management business?  Azoff may hope so and the payoff for him would be huge.