Irving and Jeffrey Azoff: Giants behind music’s giants

It says something about Irving Azoff’s sense of humor — not to mention his legendary sense of self — that when the veteran music industry executive started a label of his own in 1990, he called it Giant Records. Azoff, who stands at approximately 5 feet, 2 inches, is best known as a hard-driving talent manager; among the many acts he’s steered toward rock and pop superstardom are Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Nicks, Steely Dan, Bon Jovi and Christina Aguilera. See the whole list Yet the dealmaker nicknamed Swirv has done plenty else in both live and recorded music in the half-century since he came to California from his native Illinois, including running a major label, MCA; serving as chief executive of Ticketmaster and chairman of Live Nation; restoring Inglewood’s Forum and helping to open Palm Springs’ Acrisure Arena and the much-ballyhooed Sphere in Las Vegas; and founding Iconic Artists Group, which oversees — and seeks to monetize — the storied legacies of artists such as the Beach Boys, Dean Martin and Nat “King” Cole. The firm’s other clients include newly signed rapper Cardi B and Harry Styles, a top concert draw who sold out 15 nights at the Forum in 2022 and won the prestigious album of the year Grammy for “Harry’s House” in 2023.