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http://www.musicweek.com/index.php/news ... ive/058287

Rob Hallett exits AEG Live
By Tom Pakinkis

Live’s president of international touring Rob Hallett has made a sudden departure from the company.

A statement from AEG says that the exec has “ended his relationship with the company with immediate effect”, adding that Hallett feels the time is right to explore other opportunities in live music.

Hallett founded the UK and international touring activities of AEG Live 10 years ago.

The full statement can be found below:

“Rob Hallett, AEG Live's President of International Touring has ended his relationship with the company with immediate effect.

"Hallett who founded the UK and international touring activities of AEG Live 10 years ago, during which time he was responsible for three Bon Jovi stadium tours of Europe, Global tours for Leonard Cohen, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Usher, Black Eyed Peas, 21 nights of Prince at The 02, Barclaycard presents British Summertime at Hyde Park, Capital Radio Summer Time Ball amongst many other projects, now feels the time is right to explore other opportunities within the Live Music entertainment space.”

Such a sudden departure. Wonder if he has a job offer that requires immediate attention.
He was also involved with Michael Jackson's would-have-been performance/tour, just prior to his death.
Wish him SUPER well! He's certainly been a blessing for Leonard and all of us !!!

Another reminder that the music business is ( surprise, surprise! ) business.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Schmaltz ( = excessive sentimentality) about anyone involved in it is misplaced.

Not schmaltz when it comes to Rob having brought us Leonard these past magnificent years.
And he LOVED Leonard... and believed in him.

As to his moving on, now, I believe that to be a purely business decision [well, hopefully].

Sorry Lizzy but due to AEG (so Rob Hallett involved) some years back not being honest about the problems LC had with his back, he and AEG allowed people to carry on booking to see LC in venues that they knew he was not going to be able to perform at. I personally know of one venue that knew he was not appearing and said so on here a few years ago but tickets for that venue continued to be sold Their decision to hold fire on not informing "fans" cost people not only hotel bills but in some cases air fares as well. The music industry is a massive machine that exists purely to make money, the more the better, fans are merely pawns in the game.

So Mr Hallett has left, it is probably for a better financial position perhaps. He has been around the music industry a fair while and has left other companies. I am wondering why you think he did so much for Leonard, Lizzy, he is a promoter, it is what he does, LC was just one person he was involved with.

Hi Vicomte ~

I remember those booking situations.

When it comes to Rob, he tends to be an arrogant sort, but I still liked him.
From what I read and from what he said in person in conversation, he had always loved Leonard and his work, and just as we ~ were we able ~ would have coaxed and assured Leonard all would be fine and to return to the road, purely out of our love and respect for Leonard [even were we able to directly profit from his doing so], so I believe that Rob did that with getting Leonard to return to the road.

From all I've heard and read, including your comments here, the music industry is just as you've described. However, an industry does not de facto mean that every single person in it is exactly that way. Rob is a promoter, but I believe he was willing to take the risk on Leonard, did so, and did so out of his love, respect for, and belief in Leonard. He knew Leonard was out a whole bunch of money and I believe that at the heart of his decision to get Leonard back out there was his heartfelt wish for Leonard to recoup his losses. He was in a position to help make that happen, and he bolstered Leonard's confidence to try. I believe that Rob led with his heart with Leonard and followed with his business sense.

A number of us will always be grateful to Rob for having done so.


~ Lizzy

Changed my four "Hal"s to Rob, as it ought to be.

If Sylvie Simmons' book is accurate, Rob Hallet's involvement with LC's decision to tour again was quite a bit more than a simple business decision; it was a risk of money and reputation that few others--likely no others--were willing to undertake. This quote is from page 481 of her fine book, which I encourage all LC fans to buy and read if they haven't already:

"He wasn't sure he could do it," says Hallet, "and he wasn't sure if anyone cared. I said, 'I'm a cynical old bastard and I don't want to see anything, but I want to see Leonard Cohen, so there must be others.' I was convinced there were hundreds of thousands of people out there who wanted to see him. His biggest concern was that he didn't want to embarrass himself. But also, he didn't have any money left. So I said, 'I'll tell you what, do some rehearsals, do as long as you want, audition as long as you want, and I'll pick up the tab and pay for everything. If at the end of it you say, "Thanks, but this isn't working for me, I can't go out there and perform," I'll go, "Well, we tried," and you won't owe me anything.'"

4

I have to agree whole-heartedly that Rob. Hallett (while still a Business Man who, of course, wanted to make money) also knew that there were so many people who had never heard of, or seen, Leonard Cohen. Fans that remembered how great he was and how strong his songs were, wanted to get the opportunity of seeing him perform again. I, for one, am so very grateful to Rob. Hallett for encouraging Leonard to take the chance. With wonderful consequences too.

Bravo to him. I wish him success in his new ventures and hope they include Leonard Cohen.

Vicomte wrote:
The music industry is a massive machine that exists purely to make money, the more the better, fans are merely pawns in the game.

Well said, Vicomte.
Anyone who doesn't recognize this is either innocent or deluded.

We, the fans, enjoyed the concerts, but we certainly paid for them! They were not dispensed as some sort of charity.

I can't be sure but from everything I've read i doubt Leonard would have returned to the road without Rob Halett's very active encouragement and initial financial investment .It certainly paid off for him , but also for Leonard and the world so he has my thanks .

Exactly, cohenadmirer. Since we're talking about Rob Hallett, not the music industry as a whole, I'm focusing on his one role within it in getting Leonard back on the road ~ gratitude unadulterated.

"He wasn't sure he could do it," says Hallet, "and he wasn't sure if anyone cared. I said, 'I'm a cynical old bastard and I don't want to see anything, but I want to see Leonard Cohen, so there must be others.' I was convinced there were hundreds of thousands of people out there who wanted to see him. His biggest concern was that he didn't want to embarrass himself. But also, he didn't have any money left. So I said, 'I'll tell you what, do some rehearsals, do as long as you want, audition as long as you want, and I'll pick up the tab and pay for everything. If at the end of it you say, "Thanks, but this isn't working for me, I can't go out there and perform," I'll go, "Well, we tried," and you won't owe me anything.'"

Read that carefully.

Call me also a cynical old bastard. I am a betting man, I am pretty good at seeing the odds and placing the money in a way where I will make a profit, if there is one to be made.

The only way Rob Hallett could lose was if LC did not perform again. Rob knows how to promote artists and their concerts, the odds of success he would know inside out. He says himself, he was convinced there were hundreds of thousands of people out there who wanted to see him. He has nothing to lose, he needs only to tell LC what he did and he would pick up the tab. That is the mark of a man who knows the odds, you don't offer that unless you are on a certainty, promoters are not mugs. If it wasn't Rob Hallett it would have been someone else, the only thing in common with anyone who wanted to promote a LC tour was to hear the ringing of cash tills. LC got his lost money back on the first tour (ref Rolling Stone mag) then the bandwagon really started rolling on and the music industry is on yet another big earner. Rob Hallett IS the music industry, he is not a Mother Theresa looking to do good for the fans sake and as Athnuachan said, we the fans enjoyed his concerts, sure we did but again, let's not be deluded what the reason was for the promoter to put LC on the road.

Sorry those are my thoughts, they won't be inline with many on what is basically a forum for idolising L.C who is really just a simple man who has been put on a false pedestal and I m not sure if that was ever his aim but what do I know........

Hallet stepped up when no one else would, I am grateful for that, no matter how much money he ultimately made. Making money in honest endeavors is still (I think?) acceptable.

The price of anything, including concert tickets, is governed by the supply/demand function in free market societies. No one is forced to pay more than they think the product or service is worth. I have been overjoyed to be able to get prime seats at concerts through this forum; if I wanted to spend less, I could have, or if I thought even the low-priced seats were not worth the cost, I could have not attended at all. I see no point going through life begrudging people or companies because they made a profit on my voluntary purchase.

You are determined to be cynical, indeed, Vicomte.
Others weren't approaching Leonard to return to the road.
Rob did so with gusto.
He wasn't new to Leonard as a possibility. He LOVED Leonard's music.
The prices of seats are more than for some performers; and less than for some others.

" . . . sure we did but again, let's not be deluded what the reason was for the promoter to put LC on the road."

We disagree on what "the reason" was... you feel it was strictly monetary. I don't... I feel deep admiration and caring for Leonard's financial dilemma were Rob's inspiration.
I wouldn't wish for Rob to be stupid in the ways of money.
Of course, he stood to gain. So did Leonard.
And if that be "greed," then thank heaven for it. So many around the world have gained in so many ways for it... with Leonard and his people on the stage, and many other performers with their own groups. Live performances that go beyond the local square have to be organized and promoted by someone.

Athnuachan wrote:

Vicomte wrote:
The music industry is a massive machine that exists purely to make money, the more the better, fans are merely pawns in the game.

Well said, Vicomte.
Anyone who doesn't recognize this is either innocent or deluded.

We, the fans, enjoyed the concerts, but we certainly paid for them! They were not dispensed as some sort of charity.

Am I missing something?
Leonard Cohen is part of the music industry. Without it, and the work of Rob Hallett it is unlikely he would have gone back on the road to make some money for himself.
Fans are not merely pawns in the game. I, for one, would not have gotten the chance to see Leonard live on stage. Sure, I obviously had to pay for the privilege. But it was a privilege I would love to repeat.
Leonard Cohen probably doesn't need to tour ever again - but if he does he must know that he will have an audience. And that is partly due to the work done by Rob Hallett. So I wish him well in whatever his next job is.