SMG Out Of Next Pollstar Conference

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) SMG has reportedly decided it will opt out of the next Pollstar conference.

The rumor-slash-fact, first reported by Amplify magazine, could be a heavy hit to the longtime standard industry conference.

OVG recently bought Pollstar and directed the specifics for last fall’s conference, which included everybody from Michael Rapino to Sharon Osbourne, which, of course, left the question as to what would be left for the next year (which, from sources, is apparently still in the starting gate). The request comes on the heels of AEG removing itself from last year’s event, which could by many be considered the “first” year of the OVG event.

As to why, currently the only suggestion is that OVG has been in a battle to gain facility management of Los Angeles’s Greek Theatre. The city’s Parks & Rec department recently gave a glowing endorsement to renew SMG’s contract for managing the facility. However, OVG’s Tim Leiweke told Amplify’s Dave Brooks that the fight isn’t over (the city council was expected to give the final decision yesterday). An anonymous OVG source offered up to Amplify that it would provide the LA city council “shocking” photos of how the Greek was mismanaged by SMG. Whether that had anything to do with SMG’s decision to exit the next Pollstar conference is pure speculation, yet both things happened on the same day. Brooks had no comment.

Ultimately there has been criticism as to how a company, who promotes concerts and manages venues, could run a trade mag-slash-conference and still be an objective place for news (Pollstar has yet to report on any of this, and has not reported on the MSG Sphere press conference – MSG being one of the company’s new bosses.)

Meanwhile, a source reminded CelebrityAccess that many firms bought by Irving Azoff are ultimately meant to be sold. Azoff is an investor in OVG, but does not appear to have day-to-day interest in its operations.