Ticketmaster Buys Front Line Management, Picks Up Guns N' Roses, Eagles Tours

With the threat of Live Nation's own ticketing service looming on the horizon, Ticketmaster made a big move toward standing its own ground by acquiring the majority share of Front Line Management. With Front Line in tow, Ticketmaster now adds tours by artists like Christina Aguilera, the Eagles, Jimmy Buffett and Guns N' Roses to their roster. Ticketmaster purchased the 30% share of Front Line, previously owned by Warner Music Group, for $123 million and will now call the new enterprise Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. Primary and secondary ticketing, e-commerce and fan clubs will all fold into the terms of the deal. The venture also placed GNR co-manager Irving Azoff as its new CEO. Ticketmaster bosses likely got nervous after Live Nation wrapped up deals with Jay-Z, Shakira, Madonna and Nickelback, but this new shows Ticketmaster won't be rolling over.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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