Black Keys drop Azoff as manager following tour debacle

The Black Keys have reportedly fired their managers Irving Azoff and Steve Moir, who have co-managed the blues-rock duo since 2021. The move follows the high-profile cancellation of their fall arena tour dates across North America . the rumor is due to poor ticket sales driven by an astronomical pricing strategy.

A representative for Azoff told Billboard that it was an “amicable separation” while the group has not released any public comments regarding the decision.

It’s almost certain that the move comes in response to the deeply unflattering news cycle that band members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have had to endure following their decision to abruptly cancel the tour two weeks ago. For several days after the tour’s cancellation, no official reason was given for the cancellation, but online speculation that the event was another casualty of the extremely high prices that promoters and artists seek on post-COVID touring scene were commonplace.

National media headlines have cited poor sales and subsequent cancellation of the International Players Tour as well as similar cancellations by Jennifer Lopez and a series of postponements and cancellations of individual shows as a systemic problem due to the price of tickets and consumers’ reluctance to pay higher prices. being demanded by artists across the touring spectrum in the post-COVID era.

“Tickets are too expensive,” one fan told NBC News of the current ticket pricing mess. “There are only a SMALL number of people (10%) who will spend more than $500 on VIP/floor/premium. The rest of us are on a budget and won’t spend $100 on nosebleeds.

“Everyone is going on tour this year…and we only have money for 2-3 shows MAX,” she added.

Azoff has also had a rough news cycle himself, following his Oak View Group business being featured prominently in the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit seeking to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The longtime music executive has seen his company accused of serving as Live Nation’s “pimp” and “hammer” by the federal government, which says he and Live Nation executives chose to collude rather than compete to avoid allowing artists to increase their remuneration or lower ticket prices. .

Its sprawling role in the industry over the past 50 years was examined in detail in a report by The American Prospect published shortly after the DOJ lawsuit was filed. Even more recently, Azoff’s role in Dead & Company’s decision to oust a longtime VIP/experiences business partner in favor of Live Nation’s Vibee platform for shows at The Sphere – a venue run by Azoff’s former MSG Entertainment partner, James Dolan, in a venue that Azoff continues to serve as a consultant to.

The Black Keys are expected to turn their fall tour plans into an “equally exciting and intimate experience for fans and band,” according to their statement shared days after the tour’s cancellation. It’s unclear who the group hired to manage this plan after dropping Azoff and Muir.