Guns N’ Roses Sued By Ex-Manager Over Release of His Book

Former Guns N' Roses manager Alan Niven is fighting to release his memoir, "Sound N' Fury: Rock N' Roll Stories," in a new Arizona court filing. According to Variety, Niven’s legal team contends that a 1991 confidentiality agreement was repeatedly violated by the band’s core members—Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan—through their own published autobiographies and public remarks. The filing further notes that Niven had never previously been sued for discussing his time with the band in interviews.

Despite this, Niven alleges that Guns N' Roses issued a cease-and-desist letter earlier this year in an effort to block the book’s publication. His attorneys argue that the band members’ own public critiques grant him a right of reply. The suit also points to the mounting expense of warehousing thousands of already-printed copies and reveals that frontman Axl Rose never formally signed the original confidentiality agreement. This legal action seeks to clear the way for the memoir’s distribution.

Niven’s career in the music industry predates his work with Guns N' Roses. Before managing the hard rock legends—a period his lawyers describe as the band’s "most prolific," spanning the late 80s and early 90s—he worked with Great White. That band is best known for its 1989 hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," a song that still receives regular airplay on rock radio. However, Great White is also tragically linked to the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island, where 100 people died after unlicensed pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing. More recently, the group faced public criticism for performing without masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is not Niven’s first legal dispute over earnings. In 2023, he sued Universal Music Group, the label representing Great White, for close to $1 million in allegedly unpaid royalties and fees. Although the case was dismissed, an appeal is currently in progress. Such conflicts are common in the music business, where contracts drafted before the digital era often do not account for modern revenue streams like streaming services. As one entertainment lawyer, who wished to remain anonymous, explained, “Many managers from that generation worked on informal agreements that didn't anticipate digital income, creating fertile ground for litigation years later.”

Niven’s history of litigation also includes a 2010 case against the Australian act The Brewster Brothers. In that suit, he alleged copyright infringement and sought both publishing royalties and the return of two guitars. The court ultimately ruled in his favor regarding the copyrights to 11 songs and ordered the guitars returned along with $295.77 in damages, while dismissing other claims. This consistent pattern of legal action underscores Niven’s ongoing drive to protect what he considers his rightful financial and property interests from a decades-long career in the music industry.