#azoffs

Also, do you think he is leaving Columbia/Sony? There's no announcement of a renewal, but he was seen with Strnger last year. They seem to get along.

Hi, Anon!

Before I answer, I just wanna say that I’m still not as well-versed as others when it comes to contracts, so my points are based on what’s been discussed so far and what I personally agree with.

I don't know for sure, but I do think it’s kinda sus that H's name keeps popping up and being falsely used—twice already this year, with both FireAid and The Sphere (like Gina @twopoppies mentioned recently).

And another curious thing would be a certain discussion brought up in a group chat I am included in, and it was right after The Sphere denial news broke out. It was pointed out that in Variety500's update last December 18, 2024, neither Jeff Az*ff nor Irving Az*ff's profile mentioned H, and vice versa. That made me curious, though I wasn't able to pay attention much because of all the content we've gotten for the past week at least lol

Anyway, I started digging tonight after I saw your anon message (I wanted to collect my thoughts as much as possible and be coherent despite knowing little), to see if maybe they never really mentioned each other in past updates anyway—and maybe, it really doesn't mean anything.

Here's a breakdown of what I found (focusing on H and Jeff):

Harry — 2022, 2023, and 2024 Variety500 Honoree

I couldn't find H's 2023 profile, but his both 2022 and 2024, no label/management were mentioned.

Jeff — 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Variety500 Honoree

For Jeff, H was mentioned in 2021 (his roster of music stars including H), 2022 (H's MSG permanent banner), and 2023 (speculations of his 'flagship artist' - H - possibly doing a residency at The Sphere in the future, which popped up again this year).

I think what made it more curious is that in Jeff's 2024 profile, there was a part that says "Jeffrey Azoff works with many of the company’s artists, including Lizzo, the Eagles, John Mayer and Jon Bon Jovi and U2." It could just be because he wasn’t as active last year and wasn’t considered “mention-worthy” for the profile this time around? Not sure. Either way, I found it very curious because H’s influence and visibility remained strong, even while he was on a well-deserved break. I didn't want to think much of it at first, but the more I sat with it, the more interesting it seemed—again, very curious.

I was debating if this is worth mentioning at this point but maybe it's good to share it anyway to get other people's opinion? I also asked Paz @hoovesandfloorpaws about it since they've been building a career/business masterpost and might be able to provide insights. 🥹

It might be nothing tbh. But saving all of these here anyway! 😂

I’m trying to understand more about H and L’s careers and had a question after going through your industry tag. I’m confused about how the management team and record label work together. I get mixed opinions on whether the artist is more controlled by their manager or label. I asked ChatGPT (lol), and it said they collaborate, but management protects the artist while meeting label requirements. That makes sense in Harry's case because Jeff has done a good job overall, and they seem to have a good relationship. But what confuses me is Jeff’s role during the holivia mess, where the director seemed more like Jeff’s client than Harry, especially with rumors about Azoff’s financial interest in the film's success (which was very clear imo). Also, Harry clearly seemed upset at that time ( I don't think he was upset at Jeff specifically, but more angry about the whole situation).

I’ve also read from someone who works in the industry that the Azoff contracts are very restrictive, and I thought that kind of contracts were more label-related than a management thing.

Could you clarify the role of each team, please?

Thanks so much! :)

It’s really nuanced, and honestly, everything depends on the contracts. There’s no definitive answer to this.

Label contracts and management contracts are totally independent. So in theory, you could have a strict label contract while having a management team that actually has your back. On the other hand, you could be signed to a more flexible label (like an independent one) but have a management team that’s more controlling. And sometimes, the label and management are completely aligned, which means they’re working together in ways that may or may not benefit the artist.

From my understanding:

Label → They’re investing the money, so they own the artist’s music and control how everything is marketed. The artist is contractually obligated to deliver music, and the label decides when, how, and sometimes even what they release. The bigger the artist, the more control the label will want (whether it’s influencing their image, sound, or release timeline, etc). Therefore, I’d say the more restrictive contracts and “control” are coming from the label side, in general. Because it’s their investment, they’re the ones putting money into it 💰💰💰

Management → They work for the artist, not the label. But that doesn’t mean they’re always on the artist’s side, I mean, they have their own interests, too. You can have a strict management contract while being on a more flexible label, or vice versa. At the end of the day, management’s goal is also profit. They’re not the artist’s best friends; they’re there to negotiate, advocate, and execute day-to-day career decisions. They can’t override the label, but they can push for better deals, marketing, and overall strategy.

About Holivia, I don’t know if Jeff was prioritizing Olivia as a person over Harry’s feelings, but listen… I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: management’s job is to handle an artist’s career, not their personal happiness. It’s business. The Azoffs are deeply connected in Hollywood, and it’s pretty clear they had financial and industry interests tied into Harry’s success as an actor, especially DWD.

I think that the biggest thing that makes fans frustrated with management teams is that it’s hard to separate personal relationships from business decisions. Harry seems close to the Azoffs, so it’s natural we assume they’d protect him personally. But should we really see it that way? Or should we be looking at it through a business lens rather than personal loyalty? Because that’s how the industry actually works. I know it sucks, and we all want to protect Harry, but it’s not how it works.

Hi, anon!

It's okay, get it off your chest. What i meant is that i'm losing respect for him, it's getting chipped off bit by bit, not that there is no respect left. I agree i lost a lot with the emrata stunt. I still think there are some extenuating circumstances here, due to things out of his control, but i do agree there are things he doesn’t have to do that can't be explained away. Like him pretend hiding himself from paps he and his team called.

I think we are all just basing our judgement on him on what we see here and now. Things might make more sense at a later date or if we get more information. I, like you, can't reconcile the person i see now, with the one i used to know.

I deal well with the stunts, i don't deal well with the fake friendships or the capitalist turn this has all taken. The greed he's starting to show is such a turn off. The crackdown on fake merch, the blood prices on tickets, pleas*ng, the low quality brand deal promo for a quick buck. I would buy all this if i knew it went into his 'sue sony' fund. But it looks like it goes into the pockets of jeff and sony, with harry getting a cut. Cool it with the blatant greed thanks. At least be transparent about it. Say that your're a citrus fruit bike ambassador or a german lion brand ambassador.

this was the video:

https://youtu.be/uNxLVwY0QmE?si=d4eIHqWfb4gahU4W

many people were saying that it seemed like he wasn’t joking and i’ve noticed that his vibe around jeff has really changed since 2014-2019

thanks for the video anon!

he developed a bit of a straight faced and sarcastic sense of humour (cough Louis cough) over the years, and I think he’s seen through the Azoffs bullshit as he’s gotten older. while they definitely groomed him while in 1d to come with them, I think he’s really learnt what the Azoffs are all about.

to me, the way he says it and his body language and face, i think it is a bit snarky and he is being a bit of a dick, under a facade of a joke. and like… managers do so much for artists, so the artist can live their dream. but while they’re a team, they also have very different lifestyles.

with technology now, managers don’t need to be at every show, don’t need to constantly be running around (particularly with Jeff because he has such a massive crew and team around him), and they don’t need to be touring alllllll the time. im sure Jeff accompanies Harry to a lot of things, we do see him very often, but it’s just totally different

While being on the road is exhausting (trust me, I’ve done it), performing on top of that would be even more tiresome and Harry does deserve a round of applause for the energy he pulled out every night at all those shows, while Jeff did get to sit on his laptop in a catered room with everyone waiting on him hand and foot. He is good at what he does though, but also has the upper hand of coming from a legacy of managers/music moguls. So he hasn’t worked his way to the top, and I think Harry sees through him now.

As if we didn't already know these award shows were scams, we have Harry's management team letting us all know that despite the results for these awards not being known for months, we already somehow know Harry will win some of them.

Harry's fans: his management team are sabotaging him!!!!1 they're ruining his life!!!!1 they don't know anything!!!!11

In reality, they're already pre gaming the Grammys/Brits and are trying to desperately salvage months worth of bad PR by trying to shift the narrative to being about how he's destined for all the biggest awards, as though those compensate for his terrible acting and his PR disasters.

Hola amoor, es un montón y trate de recolectar lo más que pude, la mayoría está en inglés pero vale la pena leerlo!

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