Work B*tch: Live Nation and the Monetization of Britney Spears' Conservatorship
The lead up to the 2013 launch of Britney's Vegas residency
The United States of America has a very acrimonious public sphere, but on one topic there seems to be wholesale bipartisan support: fighting Live Nation-Tickmaster’s overwhelming market dominance in the live event industry. However, Live Nation’s dominance is not limited to concerts; it often extends into every aspect of an artist’s career.1
My research into Britney Spears’ conservatorship revealed that Live Nation was the key corporation that monetized her abusive conservatorship. Since 2010, they were entirely in charge of her talent management, concert promotion, and ticket sales.
Live Nation employed of her manager Larry Rudolph, managed the promotion and ticketing of the 2011 Femme Fatale tour, the four year-long Piece of Me (PoM) Las Vegas residency, the 2018 Piece of Me tour, and the cancelled Domination Vegas residency that was scheduled to begin in 2019.234
In Britney Spears’s explosive June 2021 court testimony, she stated:
“I was on tour in 2018. I was forced to do. My management said if I don't do this tour, I will have to find an attorney and by contract my own management could sue me if I didn't follow through with the tour. He handed me a sheet of paper as I got off the stage in Vegas and said I had to sign it. It was very threatening and scary and with the conservatorship, I couldn't even get my own attorney. So out of fear, I went ahead and I did the tour.”
– Britney Spears
A curious fact is that her manager Larry Rudolph merged two of his companies with Live Nation by 2010.
The extreme control Britney experienced was an open secret in Hollywood; easily hundreds of people worked with Britney during her 13-year conservatorship. Why was Courtney Love one of the only people who spoke out during the conservatorship? The inordinate power that Live Nation holds across the music industry could perhaps engineer a culture of silence around the abuse of Britney Spears and other artists.
You will never freely work in this town again…
The Inordinate Power of Live Nation in the Live Event Industry
Live Nation Entertainment has vertically integrated every element. It manages artists and books and promotes talent to play in venues it owns, runs, and tickets. It’s horizontally integrated too, to the point where it’s the world’s largest live entertainment company, the largest producer of live music concerts, one of the world’s biggest artist management companies (representing over 500 of the world’s biggest artists), and the world’s largest live entertainment ticketer. All of this gives it enormous control over live music.
- Chokepoint Capitalism, p. 1465
The negative impact of Live Nation:
Fans
• Fees may constitute on average 27% of ticket prices.6
• Between 2006-2021, 200 people died, and at least 750 injured at Live Nation events.7
• A crowd crush at the 2021 Astroworld festival resulted in 10 deaths and a class-action suit with almost 2,800 victims.89
Workers
• Live Nation has history of Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations.10
Businesses
• Venues have expressed that Live Nation retaliates against them if they do not use Ticketmaster. These retaliatory actions may include blacklisting venues from accessing Live Nation’s stable of hundreds of the world’s largest artists.11
Taxpayers
• Live Nation’s subsidiaries and companies they partially owned received $19 million in COVID-19 relief funds that were intended for small businesses.12
Performers
• Artists have asserted that Live Nation’s monopoly power (or Ticketmaster’s market dominance pre-merger), enables them to circumvent artists’ creative control over their careers For example, Axl Rose and Niki Minaj have alleged that their national tours were sabotaged by the former Executive Chairman of Live Nation, Irving Azoff, because they did not acquiesce to other career demands.131415
Who is Your Advocate?
A Note on Conflicts of Interest
Courtney Love has been supportive of my conclusions regarding the culpability of specific corporations in the entertainment industry.16 Courtney was also a victim of Britney’s former business manager, Lou Taylor. It truly baffles me how my work is still not broadly known among #FreeBritney advocates.
It took painstaking research to build up the evidentiary basis for my conclusion that Live Nation-Ticketmaster was at the center of monetizing the conservatorship. Even Lou Taylor has stated numerous times that her career mentors include Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino (the current and former CEOs of Live Nation).17
Larry Rudolph
Larry Rudolph was initially Britney’s entertainment lawyer through his firm Rudolph & Beer, LLP. Larry later transitioned to being her talent manager. Britney fired him twice prior to the conservatorship. He was rehired shortly after the conservatorship was instituted in 2008 and would resign shortly after Britney’s 2021 testimony. Larry Rudolph has/had many businesses in various states. The examples included in this article are chosen due to their affiliation with Britney and as a hallmark of how Larry conducts business.
The first California filing for ReignDeer Entertainment, LLC occurred on January 15, 2008, which was two weeks prior to the start of Britney’s conservatorship. The California business paperwork for Larry Rudolph Management, LLC was initially filed on December 29, 2009. Curiously, Larry used Irving Azoff’s (then CEO of Ticketmaster) business address: 1100 Glendon Ave. Ste. 2000 in Los Angeles on that paperwork.
Spoiler Alert: Larry Rudolph Management and ReignDeer Entertainment both became part of Live Nation after the January 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Larry Rudolph, Jamie Spears, and Ticketmaster all had business ties to the Maloofs prior to and after the conservatorship.
A Maloof Interlude
Larry Rudolph, Jamie Spears, and Ticketmaster all had business ties to the Maloofs both before and after the conservatorship. The Maloofs’ connection to PoM will become clearer as you read this article. The key is to understand the Maloofs’ connection to Britney’s long-term team, as well as the purchase of their Palms Casino by the private equity firm TPG Capital. Keep in mind: it is often more important who someone works with than who they work for…
The Maloofs & Jamie Spears
Jamie Spears and the Maloofs had several business dealings together before and after the conservatorship started, which I detailed in a previous Substack article available [here]. The Maloofs appeared to have become a patron of Jamie Spears before the conservatorship began, including sending him to chef school and hiring him as a personal chef.
The following photo of the Spears family was frequently used during the inescapable media coverage of #FreeBritney. Yet, it was seldom noted that the photo was taken at the launch of Jamie Spears and the Maloofs’ business endeavor - the Palms Home Poker Host - that launched on February 5, 2006.18 They were selling software to help people host poker tournament in their home.
By my determination, there was a targeted campaign for many years (by various forces) for Britney to have a Las Vegas residency. The Maloofs’ cultivation of Jamie Spears could have been the lynchpin for Britney being delivered to Sin City.
The Maloofs & Ticketmaster
In 2009, the Maloofs owned the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the Kings’ venue Arco Arena, and the Palms Casino. At that time, Maloof Sports and Entertainment extended their long-term deal for Ticketmaster to be the exclusive ticket provider for events at their venues.19
The only direct connection I have found between the Maloofs and Irving Azoff is that they are both thanked by Axl Rose on Guns n’ Roses’ 2008 album Chinese Democracy. Axl was managed by Irving at that time and had recorded some of the album at the Studio at the Palms. Axl would later sue Irving, alleging he sabotaged the album because Axl would not reunite with the original band members.
Rose claims that through Azoff’s control of the “trifecta” of artist management, concert and touring promotion, and ticket sales, Azoff has been able to gain wide influence and power in the music industry. Azoff allegedly decides what artists he wants to promote through favorable touring deals and uses his power to punish artists and harm their careers if they don’t follow his orders.
The Maloofs & Larry Rudolph
Larry and George Maloof go way back, so this is just a quick sampler. George Maloof was called to assist Britney in getting her marriage to Jason Alexander annulled in January 2004 (they had been staying at the Palms). Once Britney married Kevin Federline in October 2004, Larry Rudolph went to work for the Maloofs. Some of the projects that George Maloof worked on together include:
Additionally, the Palms was also featured in Britney’s 2004 video “Everytime,” as well as her 2011 MTV special “I Am Femme Fatale.”
Larry Rudolph has said that George Maloof played a role in his decision to launch Britney’s Vegas residency. This occurred sometime between 2011-2013 when George noted that the demographic of tourists had begun to skew younger due to the vibrant club scene.
A good friend of Palms founder George Maloof, Rudolph had been tracking the changes in Las Vegas for more than a decade, and he realized that the clubs were devouring the city’s entertainment scene.
Rudolph had an idea of how to tap into this trend. Her name: Britney Spears.
“All of a sudden, with the EDM crowd and the opening of all these nightclubs, everything changed around, and you had a much younger fan base coming in who weren’t really the gamblers necessarily. They would go to the pool during the day, take a nap and go to the nightclubs at night,” Rudolph said during a recent interview on my KUNV 91.5-FM radio show also titled “The Kats Report.”
“So what I realized was there was this big hole there that was open for sort of a pregame situation that would lead into the club. It required a slight change in behavior, and Britney was the perfect artist to fill that hole because (clubgoers) all love her. She’s the perfect artist for that demographic, and we’ve built the perfect show for her.”
- Las Vegas Sun, February 19, 201622
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff has arguably been most powerful man in the music industry for the last half-century. He has a very long and storied history that is beyond the scope of this article. Notably, he was the CEO of Ticketmaster when it merged them with Live Nation in 2010 and subsequently became Executive Chairman of Live Nation Entertainment.
I have already started a writing a chronicle of Irving's life and businesses available on my Substack:
Irving is a legendary music manager and has also held prominent leadership roles in almost every aspect of the music industry. This includes executive roles at record labels, a music rights company and a venue development and management company.
Front Line Management
Irving Azoff founded Front Line Management in 1974, and it grew to become the most powerful artist-management company in the world.23
In October 2008, Ticketmaster acquired Front Line Management from Azoff. This included Ticketmaster buying Warner Music Group’s 30% minority stake for $123 million in cash, which they had bought in 2005. Irving made a windfall in the deal and became the CEO of Ticketmaster. At the time, this acquisition was seen as a move to outcompete their rival, Live Nation.
Ticketmaster Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire what is widely regarded as the music world's most powerful artist-management company and install the management company's boss at the helm of the combined company, a bid to find a new business model for an industry undergoing seismic shifts.
The complex transaction would combine the world's largest ticketing company with its most influential gatekeeper for talent...
By joining forces with Mr. Azoff and his numerous high-profile clients, Ticketmaster is trying to trump its rival [Live Nation]. As one person close to the deal put it, "We'll see your Jay-Z and raise you Jimmy Buffett."
- WSJ, October 28, 200824
Within 2 months of the merger of Ticketmaster and Front Line, Ticketmaster and Live Nation announced their plans to merge on February 10, 2008. Only two weeks later, on February 24, 2009, Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the proposed merger. In hindsight, it feels like the expedited congressional hearing made the merger all but guaranteed.
Britney and Christina vs. Larry and Irving
Christina Aguilera came into the teen pop scene at the same time as Britney Spears in the late 1990s. They had both been child stars on the Mickey Mouse Club in the early 1990s and were naturally pitted against each other in the media… I’d argue that this legendary rivalry was orchestrated by their managers working together to generate free PR and maximize record sales.
E! News ostensibly wrote a history of their feud and stated it began after they performed with Madonna at the VMAs.25 They argue this was due to Britney’s kiss with Madonna overshadowing Christina’s kiss with Madonna because the camera cut to a reaction shot of Britney’s ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake. Of course, there was no mention in the article that Christina and Justin had just finished a co-headlining tour. The tour was literally marketed as if they were ganging up on Britney.
E! News goes on to describe why these teen dream queens were forced to compete…
…the Kentwood, Louisiana-bred Baptist, 36, and the 37-year-old New York City-born powerhouse with the impressive vocal range were sent to their respective corners, assigned an image (a 1999 Guardian article declared Aguilera "has a 'naughtier' image than Britney's corn-fed, Midwest, wholesome look") and forced to compete for attention and album sales.
It is blatantly obvious there was a synergistic element to their rivalry. This could be due to Irving Azoff taking over as Christina’s manager in 2000.26 The rivalry was good for business and, if true, it would be a brilliant marketing strategy. If this is the case, it is unknown how knowledgeable Britney or Christina may have been about the arrangement.
Christina would leave Irving Azoff for Roc Nation in 2020.27 By the next year, Britney would give her iconic testimony, and Christina immediately posted a letter of support on Twitter.28 Yet, by November, Christina refused to answer a question regarding whether she had spoken to Britney. In response, Britney would post on an Instagram story:
I LOVE AND ADORE EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED ME… BUT REFUSING TO SPEAK WHEN YOU KNOW THE TRUTH IS EQUIVALENT TO A LIE !!! 13 YEARS BEING IN A CORRUPT ABUSIVE SYSTEM YET WHY IS IT SUCH A HARD TOPIC FOR PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT ??? I’M THE ONE WHO WENT THROUGH IT !!! ALL THE SUPPORTERS WHO SPOKE UP AND SUPPORTED ME THANK YOU… YES I DO MATTER !!!!!29
- Britney Spears
Given the parallel reality of Britney and Christina’s careers, I wonder how much Christina knew about the machinations of the 13-year conservatorship. Britney has rarely spoken out against any celebrities for not supporting her, reserving most of her heartbreak and fury for her family.
2001: Concerts West, AEG, Azoff and Rudolph
Around the genesis of this (perhaps) artificial rivalry, it appears that Irving Azoff may have collaborated with Larry Rudolph on booking a Britney tour. The Dream within A Dream tour (2001-2002) was a huge win for Concerts West and a loss for the progenitor of Live Nation: Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE).
This Billboard article is doing a lot of work for me… 23 years later.
Despite CCE’s dominance, Concerts West’s Spears coup sends a message that the industry leader now has a deep-pocketed competitor…
Philip Anschutz, owner of the sports and entertainment giant AEG, purchased Los-Angeles-based Concerts West last year (with mega-manager Irving Azoff on board as investor/consultant) to focus on arena tours, as was the intention of Concerts West co-presidents John Meglen and Paul Gongaware. The goal to compete for national tours now has been accomplished. Meglen declined to comment.
The Spears deal marks the first time Concerts West has outbid CCE for a tour. Larry Rudolph, who co-manages spears with Johnny Wright, says the artist’s options to tour with either Concerts West or CCE both exceptional opportunities.
“Clear Channel is an incredible company, and I'm sure will be doing more business with them," Rudolph says. “We went with Concerts West because they’re a strong touring company and because they have ancillary properties, in that [parent AEG owns] arenas and some 7,000 movie theaters throughout the country.
“This decision was not made to exclude Clear Channel," he adds. “It was made to include Concerts West.”
AEG’s theater properties, including United Artists theaters, have increased importance, given a motion-picture project from Spears due in February, Rudolph says. “[AEG] has the ability to help us market our core products – the album and tour and our secondary properties -the movie- in ways that tip the scale for us.”
David Zedeck, agent at Evolution Talent for Spears (as well as such CCE-promoted acts as Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync), declined to comment on published reports that Spears would earn a$13 million-$15 million guarantee for the tour, but he did acknowledge thatConcerts West received the nod: “We just made that we felt was in Britney’s best interests.”
- Billboard, September 1, 200130
The 2010 Merger of Live Nation-Ticketmaster
Live Nation and Ticketmaster ultimately merged in January 25, 2010.31 There was a cacophony of advocacy against the merger, including objections by marquee artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and smaller business competitors like Jam Productions.3233 34
David Carr of the New York Times wrote an op-ed regarding the pending merger and had this to say:
It appears that Live Nation and Ticketmaster Entertainment are about to attempt a merger. Gee, what a great idea: Let’s take two behemoths with an overwhelming footprint in the live music business, smush them together, and see how that works out for the consumer. - February 8, 200935
Erin Lee Carr, David Carr’s daughter, made the 2021 Britney vs. Spears covering the conservatorship. The film never mentioned the involvement of Live Nation-Ticketmaster profiting from Britney’s conservatorship or the conflict of interest involving Larry Rudolph working for the corporation. One wonders what they discussed at the dinner table?
According to SEC filings, by 2010, Larry Rudolph had merged his management business with Live Nation.36 It is an egregious conflict of interest for any artist to have a talent manager who works for the same corporation that controls their concerts’ ticketing, promotions, merchandising, and venues. Monolithic.
As you may recall, by late 2009, Larry Rudolph had already been using the CEO of Ticketmaster’s business address. SEC documents show that by mid-2010, Live Nation had a 50% membership interest in Larry Rudolph Management, LLC.
As mentioned earlier, Larry also owned Reigndeer Entertainment and by early 2011, it too joined the conglomerate.
Larry Rudolph's Reign Deer Management, which manages Spears, is
now affiliated with the Front Line Group of managers, a division of Live Nation Entertainment headed by LN chairman Irving Azoff. Spears is booked by John Marx at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.37
Private Equity
Private equity uses extreme amounts of debt to purchase companies, and they operate with a lot of secrecy. The opacity of private equity hides key parts of how Britney’s conservatorship was monetized. The danger of private equity is felt in every sector of our economy, from high food prices to declining healthcare outcomes.
My example for regular people: Say you bought a house, and the house itself pays the mortgage.
Further reading: These are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs - and Wrecks -America
TPG Capital
Caesars (formerly known as Harrah’s)
Prior to the 2008 global financial crisis, TPG Capital and Apollo Global Management agreed to purchase Harrah’s Entertainment via a leveraged buyout (using a lot of debt to buy the company) in December 2006.
Side note: In 2008, TPG was reeling from one of worst private equity deals in history; they invested $1.35 billion into Washington Mutual, and basically five months later, all of the money was gone.3839
Harrah’s was the largest casino operator in the world and owned 39 casinos. The acquisition of Harrah’s was completed in January 2008 for $27.8 billion, which included an extraordinary amount of debt. Harrah’s was a publicly traded company prior to being acquired by TPG and Apollo. Private companies can keep a lot more of their business affairs out of the public record. TPG and Apollo’s large-scale investors included private and public pension funds, endowments, and institutions.40
In November 2009, Harrah’s announced it was planning to acquire Planet Hollywood, and in February 2010, that deal closed.41 In November 2010, Harrah’s Entertainment was renamed Caesars Entertainment.42
TPG and Apollo’s purchase of Caesars was a financial disaster, and ultimately Caesars declared bankruptcy in 2015 - that is a story for another time.43
Creative Artists Agency
In 2010, TPG Capital bought 35% of Creative Artists Agency (CAA). This was a strategic partnership and the first time the partners who owned and operated CAA brought in external investors. This deal provided the original partners at CAA a lot of liquidity to expand in a transitional time in the entertainment industry.44
TPG has invested an undisclosed sum for the stake, which does not include any control over the agency. In addition, TPG will create a $500 million fund for future investments, the agency announced Friday.45 - The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2010
TPG, the Palms, & the Maloofs
The Maloofs were hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis and were forced to sell all but 2% of their ownership the Palms Casino in 2011. TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners each purchased 48% of the Palms Casino.46
A few months before the Maloofs sold the Palms Casino, Britney did a surprise show at the Palms’ Rain nightclub, which was part of the promotion around her new album Femme Fatale.
The idea of Spears’ previewing her “Femme Fatale” album at the Palms’ Rain nightclub started with her manager, Larry Rudolph, Maloof said.
It all came together because of a longstanding relationship among Maloof, Rudolph, Spears and MTV.47
Thus, this little crew was still collaborating in the lead-up to the ultimate big boy business deal: Britney’s PoM residency.
Irving Azoff and TPG Capital
On a 2021 episode of The Bob Lefsetz Podcast, Irving Azoff was asked about his current business mentors. Irving immediately mentioned David Bonderman of TPG Capital and that he regularly speaks with the head of Live Nation, Michael Rapino.48
Recently, Irving Azoff’s Oak View Group, TPG, and others worked together to redevelop Seattle’s Key Arena. Azoff has a longstanding and cosy relationship with TPG. The Azoff Music Company and TPG even shared member of their board of directors: David Trujillo.
2013: The LeadUp To Las Vegas
The Announcement
Britney’s PoM residency was announced on September 17, 2013. The announcement stated Britney had signed on for 50 shows at Planet Hollywood over a two-year period.49 Britney would go on to perform well over 50 shows in 2014 alone.
The announcement entailed a big production in desert: Britney did a helicopter flyover of 1,300 people dressed up as her who held up signs that revealed PoM’s promotional poster.
Strangely or not, Harry Styles tweeted that he received a text from a friend that was attending the announcement. Many believe that friend was Jeff Azoff, who went on to manage Harry’s career when he went solo from One Direction.
Irving Azoff Leaves Live Nation
In December 31, 2012, Irving Azoff stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Live Nation and CEO of Front Line Management. Irving’s departure was rather abrupt, and he stated he didn’t like the constraints of working for a publicly traded company.
While a source contends that Azoff may have “ruffled feathers internally” with a series of moves that benefitted him personally (for instance, moving tour booking for Aguilera and the Eagles to to CAA, where his son recently came on board as an agent), a Live Nation insider insists the exit was entirely “friendly.”
When Irving Azoff left he had a non-compete agreement with Live Nation. This means his ability to sign and work with new artists was limited. He was able to take some of his longtime clients, such as Christina Aguilera and the Eagles.50 Coincidentally, these artists are the same ones that had recently transitioned to CAA, which may have ruffled feathers at Live Nation.
Beyond his longtime clients, I believe Irving Azoff used his son at CAA as a proxy to get around his non-compete with Live Nation.
When Irving left Live Nation, he sold 1.7 million shares (~$9/share) to Liberty Media and received $3.5 million in bonuses, among other accoutrements. He left with a lot of monopoly money to play with.
Michael Rapino took the reins of Live Nation in 2013 and still runs it to this day.
Britney Signs With Jeff Azoff At CAA
In January 2013, it was announced that Britney left the William Morris Endeavor (WME) talent agency and signed with CAA. Britney had been with WME since 2008, and Jason Trawick was the agent that signed her. Trawick would go on to be her boyfriend, fiancé, and co-conservator.51 Telling that story is tangential at the moment.
The important point for our current purpose is the simultaneous moves of Trawick’s resignation as co-conservator of Britney and her being traded from WME to CAA.
After Britney signed with CAA, there was immediate gossip and swift denials that Britney would be doing a Vegas residency.52 Coincidentally, these same types of rumors surfaced soon after Britney was placed into the conservatorship in 2008.53
A 26-year-old Jeff Azoff left his daddy’s company Front Line Management and became a talent agent at CAA in October 2012 .54 At CAA, Britney would be represented by Rob Light and Jeff Azoff. Rob Light was the Head of Music at CAA and an old business associate of Irving.55
It seems that Jeff’s move to CAA and signing Britney may have served as a way for Jeff Azoff to establish professional identity out from his dad’s shadow. Jeff’s defection to CAA may have been planned in anticipation of Irving’s imminent resignation from Live Nation.
In leaked emails, the head of WME, Ari Emanuel, explicitly blamed Irving Azoff for Britney joining CAA and leaving WME.56 If you recall, industry gossip also suggested that Irving’s clients (e.g. Christina Aguilera, The Eagles) defected to CAA because of Irving, despite Irving not working for the company. My educated guess is that Irving may have left Live Nation in part to oversee the launch of PoM.
Emanuel has been steaming over the fact that the Azoff's son, Jeffrey, went to work at rival agency CAA, where he has been bringing business. Emanuel holds Irving Azoff responsible for his losing clients like Britney Spears to the Death Star.
- The Wrap, June 25, 201357
Two months before the official launch of PoM, Larry Rudolph and the Azoff family attended an event together hosted by the marketing firm Scoop.58 I still wonder how much they talked about Britney’s Vegas residency that evening?
“Son of industry magnate Irving, [Jeff] Azoff has four years’ experience as an agent with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) but checks in with his father frequently, admitting, ‘I’d be dumb to not ask him for advice.’”
- Billboard, February 9, 201759
Larry Rudolph Is In The Ticket Business
Larry Rudolph was so invested in launching PoM that he moved his family to Las Vegas.60 I wonder how much he personally invested in the show via private equity? It could be zero.
In the lead-up to the Vegas announcement, the paperwork for Larry Rudolph Management LLC switched the company’s purpose to “ticket sales” and included the head of Live Nation as a manager of the business.
Why would Britney’s manager and the CEO of Live Nation have a joint venture specifically for ticket sales? According to the November 2013 filing, the purpose of the company switched to the catchall “entertainment.” Then the company itself is closed in April of 2014.
Why?
Jamie Spears Requests A Raise
It has been alleged that Britney’s Caesars contract stipulated that she had to stay in the conservatorship.61 The coverage of this stipulation made it sound like Britney was willing to stay in the conservatorship to keep her Caesars contract. A convenient narrative, but it is hard to fathom how anyone believed this, given that Britney alluded to her retirement even before PoM’s premiere.
There has only been one leak of Britney’s Vegas contract, by a social media account Lawyers for Britney, which occurred on January 2, 2021.62
The entire contract has not leaked, so I cannot independently verify the claim that the contract mandated she remain a conservatee. Yet, given everything Britney has said in her memoir and social media, I assume she would have gladly nullified her Caesars contract if she could terminate the conservatorship.
The leaked contract includes both Jeff Azoff’s name and Lou Taylor’s business address: 450 N. Roxbury Ste. 800, Beverly Hills, CA.
The contract was signed on June 3, 2013. Shortly thereafter, Jamie Spears went to the Los Angeles probate court and asked for a raise explicitly because he helped secure the Caesars contract.63
According to the New York Times, Jamie Spears “was granted 1.5 percent of gross revenues from the performances and merchandising tied to her Las Vegas residency, ‘Piece of Me,’ which went on to earn a reported $138 million across nearly 250 shows.”64 He had previously made a 2.95 percent commission for his work on Britney’s 2011 Femme Fatale tour, which was produced by Live Nation.
Where did the other 98.5 percent of the pieces of the gross go? People are always cautioned against asking that question.
A Historic Partnership: Caesars and Live Nation
Days before the debut of Britney’s 2013 PoM, Caesars and Live Nation announced a historic partnership. Britney is the cornerstone of this new partnership, and her star power was used to revitalize the entire economy of Las Vegas.
The partnership forged with Caesars at The AXIS will mark Live Nation's first significant alliance with a venue of this size in Las Vegas. The powerful pairing between the two entertainment leaders will provide Caesars access to Live Nation's vast artist network, while Live Nation will expand its footprint in the Las Vegas market.
In the exclusive, long-term deal, Live Nation will bring a dedicated team to work closely with Caesars in securing an impressive set of resident headliners and top touring acts. The partnership is inclusive of the venue's first artist-in-residence, Britney Spears, who will launch her show "Britney: Piece of Me" on Dec. 27.
"Live Nation has looked for the right opportunity to expand our presence in Las Vegas and we found it in this partnership with Caesars. Since Live Nation began, we've delivered great talent to fans in Las Vegas and look forward to booking shows in the beautiful, new venue," said Bob Roux, Live Nation Entertainment Co-President North America Concerts.
- Caesars Entertainment press release, December 19, 2013
Continue to Work Bitch Part 2:
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I just read this and as I'm familiar with your work I thought it might be of interest to you... Like I said, just a thought.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/11/record-labels-unhappy-with-court-win-say-isp-should-pay-more-for-user-piracy/
Excellent! I love hearing about all the parts. I’m so glad I could listen 🎧 instead of reading. Still recovering ❤️🩹!