They paid the lawyer $5.94 million.

Oh, he’s got some fancy title, "Executive Vice President and General Counsel", so his mother will be impressed and he won’t look like a loser at school reunions, but make no mistake, he’s the lawyer.

Paying Michael Rowles this kind of money is like paying Don Passman more than the acts he represents.  Come on, net, how much money did the members of the acts Live Nation promotes actually make?  Rowles’s gig is better than being a comedian, he’s got no manager and no agent AND HE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE TO GO ON THE ROAD!

That’s what I think of when I contemplate Live Nation…its great legal strategy.  Yes, Jonathan Ive designs all those great Apple products, I know his name because he’s an artist and he’s responsible for all those items we Americans covet.  But Michael Rowles?  It’s not like he’s responsible for no-skid stripping on steps at the shed so I won’t fall or be fallen into by some drunk who’s imbibed too many beers…  I mean what exactly has Michael Rowles done?

It’s not like he won some big case, making new law.

Then again, while he worked at Live Nation, it was allowed to merge with Ticketmaster, even though it was outside counsel that did the heavy lifting and our weenie Administration is too lame to stop any business combination.

Then again, as attorney Peter Paterno always claims, antitrust is b.s., because someone new always comes in to triumph, the way Apple is killing Microsoft the way ___________ is killing Live Nation.

Really, isn’t a leader in a business sphere supposed to innovate and lead?

Oh, that’s right, the rest of the promoters are living in the seventies and are so busy bitching at Live Nation that they don’t stop and innovate either.  It was LN/TM that instituted seat maps and now has dynamic pricing, then again, Microsoft did lead with tracking protection in  Internet Explorer 9.

In other words, Live Nation ain’t all bad.  But a lean, mean innovation machine?

Don’t make me laugh.

But then there are the labels…  Manufacturing acts with the shelf life of a hot fudge sundae complaining they’re being ripped off.  Come on, do you really expect me to care about those Top Forty acts built by beatmeister producers?

But Live Nation isn’t building new acts.

It’s a great business.  The acts are supposed to do all the heavy lifting and the businessmen just reap the rewards.  Huh?

I’ll say there’s a skill in concert promotion.  And record production and promotion.  But without the act, you really ain’t got shit.

Hell, in the old days managers built acts, because if they didn’t, they starved.  Now the managers are sucking at Live Nation’s tit, they’ve got guaranteed salaries…is this any way to run a business?

No.

Michael Rowles

From: Jason Garner
Subject: Re: Live Nation Compensation

Pls print this – if you have the balls

You are an asshole with a computer.  I can finally say what every relevant member of our industry thinks.  I dare you to sit in michael rapino’s chair for one week – and then write your column.  I dare you to do one thing, just one, that takes a risk to move our industry forward the way michael and irving have for their entire careers versus whining about the glory of the past and criticizing those who pour their hearts into our business today.  I dare you, just once, to be on the other side of your cowardly, late night computer jabs and feel the way I’m sure nathan does right now after working 20 hours a day for the last five years.  Until then you are a coward and a cynic and a man who never spent a day in the ring and is so bitter in his irrelevance that he takes shots at the guys who are actually doing something.

Ineptly yours,
Jason Garner