Randy Phillips out as chief exec of AEG Live

[jaydom7]

This is MJ related, considering he was sued as a part of AEG.. He is now out as ceo of AEG Live

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/randy-phillips-chief-executive-aeg-live-231240229.html

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Randy Phillips, who was sued in connection with Michael Jackson's death, is out after a decade as chief executive officer of AEG Live under a restructuring by its parent AEG, the sports and entertainment giant announced Monday.
Anschutz Entertainment Group has ended its relationship with Phillips, a company statement said. It gave no reason for the move.
The statement didn't say Phillips was fired, and it made no mention that he had resigned or retired.
Last year Phillips had signed a five-year contract to remain as president and CEO of the world's second-largest concert company.
An email seeking to reach Phillips through Marvin Putnam — the attorney who represented him in the Jackson lawsuit — wasn't immediately returned.
AEG said it was restructuring AEG Live. Jay Marciano was bumped from chief operating officer to chairman and will assume a more active role in the management of that division, AEG said.
He will oversee a Los Angeles-based executive team led by Paul Tollett, John Meglen, Shawn Trell and Rick Mueller, the company said.
Phillips became CEO in 2002. Under his leadership, AEG Live handled concert tours for the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.
AEG had been working with Michael Jackson on a planned comeback tour before his 2009 death, which was caused by an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol. Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's physician, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for providing access to the drug.
Phillips initially was a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Jackson's family that contended AEG negligently hired Murray. Phillips was later dropped from the case, which AEG won. Phillips testified at Murray's trial.
AEG owns the Staples Center area in downtown Los Angeles as well as the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo soccer teams, and other venues and teams.
The restructuring follows the resignation of Tim Leiweke, AEG's president and chief executive, in March after AEG announced it was cancelling plans to sell the company.

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[ivy]

nope, not MJ news

 

[jaydom7]

well where does it go? MJ is mentioned in the article and so is the AEG lawsuit

 

[Tygger]

Controversial, eh?

Regardless of where this news is placed, it is indeed most excellent news that I immensely enjoyed reading.

 

[Bonnie Blue]

^ Yes me too. Thanks jaydom for posting this completely off-topic piece of news.

How surprising to hear this, maybe artists in the business didn't like the sound of randy slapping and screaming at mj to get him to do a press conf, or using the massive debt mj was under as a way of 'motivating' mj to turn up to rehearsals. What did randy say about murray, 'the more i speak with him the more respect i have for him' or something like that. Mj put up with murray as he was desperate for prop at night to function during the day, what was randy's excuse for his rubbish judgement in giving this numbskull the time of day.

 

[ivy]

well where does it go? MJ is mentioned in the article and so is the AEG lawsuit

could be but unless his leaving is related to that it's not MJ news and it's not AEG lawsuit news. I don't think there's any information about why. I moved it to controversy for the time being. but even there it's off topic.

 

[serendipity]

Wouldn't surprise me if his leaving/firing may be related (at least in part) to what happened with MJ. He acted inappropriate and didn't exactly make the company look good. Though I'm sure he could easily retire at this point and have enough money to last him 5 lifetimes.

 

[Tygger]

laughs

Having the King of Pop, the biggest entertainer in the world, pass on your watch is not a positive job experience to list on one's résumé.

Yes, he could have been removed for any other reason however, any and all reasons pale in comparison to that.

 

[jaydom7]

Anschultz must have heard how crazy and insane Murray is and figured that Phillips should've known better than hiring that nutjob and then the fact that he knew MJ was not looking well and was not doing good but forged ahead anyway didn't make him look good at all.. Even though AEG won the civil suit both sides really loss, because MJ is dead and both his family and AEG did nothing to help him when his issues were looking them right in the face.

 

[ivy]

Honestly I don't understand what you are celebrating ? Regardless of why he was let go - media reports it was due to reorganization of AEG and it was expected btw - today his interview (see below post) states AEG is honoring his 5 year contract. That means for the upcoming 4 years AEG will be paying his salary. And do you really think Phillips will not be able to find a new job? So again what are you celebrating? Leiweke not working at AEG but having another cushy job? Phillips not working at AEG but still being paid his salary for the upcoming 4 years and probably finding another job? I don't get what you define as a "pay back" for what they allegedly did to Michael but to me this (getting other high profile jobs and getting paid without working) doesn't look like a pay back and I don't think these firings hurt them at all. They are just no longer at AEG. And even if you think these letting go people is because AEG distancing themselves from these people to improve the possible negative perceptions people might have due to MJ's death then it means it would also benefit AEG.

 

[ivy]

AEG Live's Outgoing CEO Randy Phillips: 'It's Just a Job'
NEWS
By Ray Waddell, Nashville | November 26, 2013 3:29 PM EST


Randy Phillips, ousted yesterday as president/CEO of AEG Live, the concert promotion arm of Anschutz Entertainment Group, was predictably upbeat when he talked to Billboard today.

&#8220;I ended a 13-year run [at AEG Live] having the biggest year the company ever had, working with great people I hired trained and mentored,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got a great contract, they&#8217;re honoring it, I was terminated without cause, so life&#8217;s good.&#8221;

Asked about the timing of his exit, Phillips supposes it has to do with the year coming to a close. &#8220;They want to start the new year with the re-org, and it gives them time amongst the holidays,&#8221; he says. &#8220;Part of it is I was a larger than life presence there, and the face of the company. What&#8217;s the best time to get rid of a king? Right before the holidays. By the time Monday starts, it&#8217;s all new.&#8221;

Asked what&#8217;s next, Phillips says he&#8217;s looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity. &#8220;Right now the lawyers are negotiating with the company to get me as much freedom as possible in the next chapter of my life,&#8221; he says, adding that he has &#8220;a huge amount&#8221; of opportunities. &#8220;The outpouring and the emails have been insane because of the work I did. The [Michael Jackson wrongful death] trial is behind me, and I&#8217;m trying to figure out what the next chapter is, and how to build a better mousetrap in this ever-changing media world we live in.&#8221;

Phillips, a former manager, adds that he doesn&#8217;t want to &#8220;do something too traditional&#8221; in his next gig. &#8220;Whatever it is will probably involve management, touring, marketing,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I know a lot of people say that, but having had the experience of running a big company the last 13 years, I really know what works and what doesn&#8217;t. If there&#8217;s anything I learned from this whole experience it&#8217;s having a good eye and the ability to hire great people and mentor them. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m leaving behind, and that&#8217;s the saddest thing, and it is for them to. But life goes on, and at the end of the day it&#8217;s just a job, it&#8217;s not who I am.&#8221;

As to his legacy at AEG Live, Phillips says, &#8220;I&#8217;ve given a gift to the music industry, and that&#8217;s an alternative to there just being one buyer,&#8221; he says, referring to AEG Live&#8217;s chief competitor in the global touring game, the world&#8217;s top promoter in Live Nation. &#8220;I&#8217;ve given the industry a real viable alternative, and if that&#8217;s my legacy of this job, it&#8217;s the greatest legacy I could have.&#8221;


Read more at http://www.billboard.com/biz/articl...y-phillips-its-just-a-job#I0GMpEBrlWBbw14f.99

-----------------

Previous AP article

RANDY PHILLIPS OUT AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF AEG LIVE
Nov. 25, 2013 9:03 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) &#8212; Randy Phillips, who was sued in connection with Michael Jackson's death, is out after a decade as chief executive officer of AEG Live under a restructuring by its parent AEG, the sports and entertainment giant announced Monday.

Anschutz Entertainment Group has ended its relationship with Phillips, a company statement said. It gave no reason for the move.

The statement didn't say Phillips was fired, and it made no mention that he had resigned or retired.

Last year, Phillips had signed a five-year contract to remain as president and CEO of the world's second-largest concert company.

An email seeking to reach Phillips through Marvin Putnam &#8212; the attorney who represented him in the Jackson lawsuit &#8212; wasn't immediately returned.

AEG said it was restructuring AEG Live. Jay Marciano was bumped from chief operating officer to chairman and will assume a more active role in the management of that division, AEG said.

He will oversee a Los Angeles-based executive team led by Paul Tollett, John Meglen, Shawn Trell and Rick Mueller, the company said.

Phillips became CEO in 2002. Under his leadership, AEG Live handled concert tours for the likes of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.

AEG had been working with Michael Jackson on a planned comeback tour before his 2009 death, which was caused by an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol. Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's physician, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for providing access to the drug.

Phillips initially was a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Jackson's family that contended AEG negligently hired Murray. Phillips was later dropped from the case, which AEG won. Phillips testified at Murray's trial.

The restructuring follows the March resignation of Tim Leiweke, AEG's president and CEO, after AEG announced it was canceling plans to sell the company.

----------------------------------

and another article

Randy Phillips Out as CEO of No. 2 Concert Promoter AEG Live


By HANNAH KARP CONNECT
Nov. 25, 2013 9:30 p.m. ET
Anschutz Entertainment Group said Monday that it had "ended its relationship" with Randy Phillips, the chief executive of its live entertainment arm, AEG Live, in a management shake-up.

AEG's chief operating officer, Jay Marciano, was appointed chairman of AEG Live and will take a more active role running it.

Such a change had been expected in the industry ever since Mr. Marciano returned to Los Angeles earlier this year from Europe, where he had overseen live entertainment operations.

Mr. Marciano came back to help fill the void after Mr. Phillips's superior, Tim Leiweke, resigned as AEG's president and chief executive in March, while AEG's billionaire owner Philip Anschutz canceled plans to sell the company.

With Mr. Marciano sitting in the office of the chairman, reporting directly to Mr. Anschutz and continuing to oversee live events, the organization became top-heavy. Mr. Phillips's role became superfluous, according to people familiar with the matter, while his personality and management style clashed with Mr. Marciano's.

Mr. Phillips could not be reached for comment.

The company had considered waiting until the end of the year, according to a person familiar with the matter, but in the end decided to notify Mr. Phillips Monday, putting out a statement soon afterward. Mr. Philips signed a five-year contract with AEG last year.

Dan Beckerman, the president and chief executive of AEG, said in a statement that with Mr. Marciano's involvement, "there is no limit to what this group can accomplish."

Meantime Paul Tollett was named chief executive and president of Goldenvoice and will have a broader role in the management of AEG Live's business, in addition to being appointed to the company's board, the company said.

AEG, the second-biggest concert promoter behind Live Nation Entertainment Inc., owns more than 100 sports and entertainment venues around the country.

John Meglen, who has been co-CEO of AEG's Concerts West division, will become President of Global Touring for AEG Live.

The company's longtime general counsel, Shawn Trell, was promoted to chief operating officer of AEG Live.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304011304579220800078621392

 

[Tygger]

Phillips is happy he has been released from his position at AEG and so am I; that is a win-win.

"The [Michael Jackson wrongful death] trial is behind me, and I&#8217;m trying to figure out what the next chapter is, and how to build a better mousetrap in this ever-changing media world we live in.&#8221;

Good thing that pesky wrongful death trial is behind him and he can look forward to life&#8217;s opportunities.

Unfortunately, Michael cannot do the same.

I wonder what will become of Gongaware now that Meglen has a new title.

 

[Bonnie Blue]

Honestly I don't understand what you are celebrating ?

It's just a bit of schadenfreude, you make it sound as if we're all having a riotous all night party in here with music blaring and the wine flowing and tygger doing the carlton dance. It's only a couple of posts in a 'off topic' thread commenting on a guy we don't like being kicked out of his job.

Phillips not working at AEG but still being paid his salary for the upcoming 4 years and probably finding another job? I don't get what you define as a "pay back" for what they allegedly did to Michael but to me this (getting other high profile jobs and getting paid without working) doesn't look like a pay back and I don't think these firings hurt them at all.

That's your view of the situation, which is exactly how randy phillips is trying to spin it in his interview to billboard. I suppose for people who's entire raison d'etre and sole priority in life is $$, to be given 3yrs worth of pay for doing nothing will be seen as a result. However, for me, and i suspect phillips, i see someone being unceremoniously kicked out of a company after 13 yrs, being paid $$$ by them to not bother them again, given no public thanks, no public acknowledgment of anything they had achieved for the company, no nothing, as really humiliating. Of course phillips is going to put a brave face on it - say it was just a job, he's having his contract honoured, got plenty of offers of work blah blah, but it's bound to bruise his ego. He's at the age when he's concerned about his legacy, wanting acknowledgment for his achievements in the industry so the fact it was left to him to blow his own trumpet and point out all the stuff he had done for aeg is embarrassing and a bit pitiful. He's the real definition of a 'self-proclaimed king'.

I don't know all the internal politics of aeg so have no idea of what part the revelations in the aeg trial played in him getting the boot. But lets not pretend that phillip's management of mj's comeback is going to go down in the textbooks as the way to do it - the whole affair was massively mismanaged, costs rocketing, no insurance, the star in a physical decline which was obvious to everyone, it all went tragically wrong. I can't imagine a publicity shy, conservative owner like anschulz relished all that media attention from the trial. So i'm going to treat this firing as payback if that's ok and go back to my 'celebrations', maybe dial it up a notch and put on kool and the gang.

 

[ivy]

That's your view of the situation

Honestly if it's an excellent news and if you enjoyed it doesn't it count as a celebration? Celebration is after all a joyous occasion by definition. Semantics aside weren't you like "Yay Phillips is fired"? I just said "chill take a moment and think this through". Yes it's my view of the situation that I don't see it as payback but if you do, by all means enjoy.

PS: Average CEO tenure is around 5 to 8 years. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/ceo-pay-circus-2013-214028626.html

 

[Tygger]

dances

The average CEO was not told numerous times of the biggest entertainer in the world deteriorating for eight weeks on their watch. The average CEO may have reacted differently and would still be employed.

We have to be patient and see if an appeal will be granted.

 

[serendipity]

Yea Ivy, you do have a point. He will be paid handsomely and with his connections he's likely to get himself a new job.