Alan Niven, who managed Guns N’ Roses during their meteoric rise from 1986 to 1991, has opened up about the bitter fallout that led to his departure — and the millions he gave up just to walk away.

In a candid new interview with Louder Sound, Niven detailed the moment he received the call from Axl Rose letting him go — a move he saw coming, but hoped would have played out more respectfully.

“Did I see it coming? No. Was I surprised? No,” Niven said. “It would have been classy to have had dinner and agreed to go our separate ways… but Axl is Axl.”

A Costly Exit

Rather than fight to maintain ties, Niven revealed he voluntarily relinquished his lifelong commission rights, which included royalties on iconic albums like Appetite for Destruction, Lies, and Use Your Illusion.

“I paid millions to get Axl out of my life,” he said.
“I had a 17% commission in perpetuity… Anything released, mastered, or negotiated during my contract was commissionable forever.”

He went on to say that he sold back those rights to the band in 1991 for $3.5 million, despite the potential for tens of millions in future earnings, given the enduring sales of Appetite for Destruction — which alone has moved over 30 million copies worldwide.

“The settlement I took is not anywhere close to what I was due and had earned,” he admitted. “But that’s how burnt out and disillusioned I was.”

The Real Cost of Success

Niven’s experience underscores the high-pressure and often volatile nature of the music industry at its peak. While Guns N’ Roses would go on to become one of the biggest rock bands in history, the cost of that success was high — both financially and personally.

“Thank God he gave himself to rock’n’roll and he’s not a despot running a country,” Niven added about Axl Rose.