All Things D interview with Irving Azoff

The WSJ's D7 Conference covered a lot of ground. Kara Swisher interviewed artist manager, Ticketmaster CEO and soon to be head of Ticketmaster/Live Nation's new endeavor, Irving Azoff. Irving stated what seems obvious to most, except those at the major record labels: Labels have always lagged in embracing new technology, in fact they fear it. Rather than use it for their best interests, they'd rather sue consumers. Irving, as it is with any manager, believes in the live experience. That is where a manager's bread and butter has always been. He also stated that branding will be a big factor for musicians and that Madison Avenue has been a even better source of revenue for recording artists now.

Jill Sobule performed. She recently asked fans to donate money via her website so she could record her new record. She received over $80,000 in donations and the album came out three weeks ago. She wrote and performed a song inspired by attending last year's conference. She was never a fan of Rupert Murdoch. He came up to her at the D6 conference and said he liked her song, gave her a hug and she said he was nice. Inspiration comes from many places.

After watching several of the interviews from the conference, I'd love to know who chose the red chairs. They don't look comfortable. They give the impression that it's a matter of minutes before the dentist will enter the room to do a root canal.