The former manager of Guns N’ Roses has claimed that Axl Rose now receives 50% of the band’s income, as he desires to be in control of everything

Former Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven claims the band is no longer a collective.

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Former Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven claims that vocalist Axl Rose now receives 50% of the band’s revenue. Niven spoke on the Guns N’ Roses-themed podcast Appetite For Distortion, presented by Brando Weissle.

“It’s a control thing with Axl,” explains Niven. “Here’s another little image that is informative and contributes to developing a right perception. Axl now accounts for 50% of Guns N’ Roses’ revenue. 50%, okay? That is just unacceptable to me. He’s not Guns N’ Roses.

“They were five people. It was chemistry. It was a moment. However, Axl like to have complete control over everything. And see where that leads you. A dull solo album and a lousy collection of punk covers. And that’s all.”

Niven is alluding to the past two Guns N’ Roses albums: 1993’s covers album “The Spaghetti Incident?” and 2008’s long-awaited Chinese Democracy.

Niven, who managed Guns N’ Roses from 1986 until 1991, has previously expressed criticism of Axl Rose.

In 2022, he stated that he had no interest in creating a new album for Guns N’ Roses. “The tantrums of youth look ridiculous on a 60-year-old.” It’s a shame they’ve been creatively ineffective since 1991.”

Alan Niven’s book, Sound N’ Fury: Rock N’ Roll Stories, is now available for pre-order. It will be released on June 24.

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Guns N’ Roses: Because What You Want and What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things. The tour takes out on May 1 at Songdo Moonlight Park in Incheon, South Korea. Full dates are included here.

Guns N’ Roses: Because what you want and what you get are two very different things. Tour 2025

May 1: Incheon Songdo Moonlight Park, South Korea.
May 5: Yokohama K Arena, Japan.
May 10: Taoyuan Sunlight Arena in Taiwan.
May 13: Bangkok Thunderdome Stadium in Thailand.
May 17: Mumbai Mahalaxmi Racecourse in India.
May 23: Riyadh Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
May 27th: Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, UAE.
May 30: Shekvetili Parka in Georgia. ^
June 2: Istanbul Tüpraş Stadyumu, Turkey
June 6: Coimbra Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Portugal.
June 9: Barcelona Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Spain.
June 12: Florence Firenze Rocks, Italy. June 15: Hradec Kralove Rock For People, Czech Republic.
June 18: Dusseldorf Merkur Spiel-Arena, Germany.
June 20: Munich Allianz Arena, Germany. ^
June 23: Birmingham Villa Park, UK.
June 26: London Wembley Stadium, UK.
June 29: Aarhus Eskelunden, Denmark+
July 2: Trondheim Granåsen Ski Centre, Norway+
July 4: Stockholm Strawberry Aren, Sweden+
July 7: Tampere Ratina Stadium, Finland+
July 10: Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Lithuania +
July 12: Warsaw PGE Nardowy, Poland +
July 15: Budapest Puskás Aréna, Hungary+
July 18: Belgrade Ušće Park, Serbia +
July 21: Sofia Vasil Levski Stadium, Bulgaria+
July 24: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria.
July 28th: Luxembourg Open Air, Luxembourg#
July 31: Wacken Festival, Germany. *

* = Festival appearance + = with Public Enemy ^ = with Rival Sons # = with Sex Pistols (featuring Frank Carter).

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor for Classic Rock

Since 2014, I’ve been the online editor for Louder/Classic Rock magazine. 39 years of experience in the music industry, 26 of those spent online. Bylines include Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, and Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, former roadie, and published novelist. He once starred in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy and believes that introducing cats may help improve any situation. Favourite Serbian trumpet player: Dejan Petrović.