Iconic Artists Group Acquires Linda Ronstadt’s Recorded Music Assets

Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images – Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt performs at the Greek Theater on September 17, 1977 in Berkeley, Calif.

Linda Ronstadt, who has blazed trails for women across rock, Latin, Broadway and won the 2021 Grammy for Best Music Film for “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice,” becomes the latest artist to make a deal with Iconic Artists Group. She becomes the third artist identified with Southern California music to join Iconic, following The Beach Boys and David Crosby.

Ronstadt and her team of manager John Boylan and personal assistant Janet Stark will partner with Iconic, formed last year by Irving Azoff (co-founder of Pollstar parent company Oak View Group) to market her catalogue and preserve her substantial legacy into the digital era. The acquisition of her recorded music assets allows Iconic to reintroduce Ronstadt to new generations of fans. 

Not only does the acquisition bring an important partner to Iconic, given Ronstradt’s reach into multiple musical genres and streak of massive hits in the 1970s, it’s also a bit of a reunion for the Queen of Rock and Azoff. His clients Don Henley and Glenn Frey became Eagles after meeting Ronstadt at the legendary Troubadour and joining her band. 

Among her many hits includes her cover of Eagles’ “Desperado” as well as Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou” and the Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.”

“I’m very pleased about this partnership,” Ronstadt said in a statement. “It’s extremely gratifying to be in the company of Irving Azoff, his team, and his family of great artists, many of whom have been my friends and colleagues for years. It feels like home.”

Azoff commented, “In 1972 when I arrived in Los Angeles to pursue my dreams in the music business, as fate would have it, I soon thereafter became best friends and manager to Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Without Linda Ronstadt and John Boylan, there would have never been an Eagles. 

“We were friends and family and grew up together, and what a ride it has been. The countless tours together with the Eagles and Linda and their collaborations are the backbone of the history of Southern California music.  For Linda and John to entrust us with the honor of furthering her work is one of the most satisfying moments of my career. Linda’s talent is unparalleled, but her courage and commitment to make important music of many genres is her legacy. We will preserve that legacy for her at all costs. Thank you, Linda and John. We won’t let you down.”  

One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Ronstadt has sung on more than 120 albums, with at least 31 gold and platinum records, and sold more than 100 million records worldwide with such hits as “You’re No Good,” “Blue Bayou” the duet “Somewhere Out There” with James Ingram, and “Don’t Know Much” with Aaron Neville. 

Ronstadt has been honored with 11 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, an Emmy, and an ALMA Award, Linda is a pioneer in successfully stretching the boundaries and genres of popular music across rock, country, jazz, opera, Americana, Latin, and Broadway. She was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, honored by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Arts in 2014, and received the Kennedy Center Honors lifetime artistic achievement in 2019.