Live Nation Gets Its Nickelback
Inescapable Canadian nu-heshers Nickelback have signed a long-rumored 360 deal with Live Nation, which gives the concert-promotion behemoth the rights to produce and profit from the band’s tours, recordings, merchandise, and other ventures. (The deal is for three albums, according to Reuters, and worth somewhere between $50 million and $70 million.) While there were rumors that the company was going to hold off on signing many more 360 deals, president and CEO Michael Rapino told Variety that his company will sign “up to six” artists in the inaugural year of Live Nation Artists; Nickelback is fourth, behind Madonna, Jay-Z, and Shakira. Last week, when the Shakira deal was signed, a major label executive told the New York Post that Live Nation was trying to “establish itself in a big way in each genre no matter what the loss leader is going to be on it,” and the company now has pop, hip-hop, Latin music, and rock all covered. So what’s next?
A few ideas:
Country. A huge draw in the States, but not so much outside of it. Unless, of course, Live Nation manages to snag Shania Twain, who’s been out of the recorded-music world since her 2005 song for the Desperate Housewives soundtrack and who’s been known to experiment with global sounds. If anything, now would be an opportune time for her to make a fresh start.
Indie. In the wake of the Fillmore rebranding disaster, Live Nation is trying to shore up its smaller-sized theaters, and an act that’s big, but more suited to its smaller-sized venues, could help. And as it happens, there is one life-changing act out there who’s open to working with a “label partner” for the independent release of its next album.
Hard rock/metal. Of course, this depends on how metal you think Motley Crue really is, particularly in comparison to Nickelback.
Some genre that is relatively unknown in these parts, since these deals are global. Just saying.
Also, did you know that Nickelback’s Mike Kroeger claims that his band’s name comes from him saying “Here’s your nickel back” during his coffee-jockey job at a Vancouver Starbucks, and not from the American football term for a secondary defensive back? Although I wonder if that’s just a backstory that’s been concocted for them to appeal beyond the jock crowd…
Nickelback signs with Live Nation [Variety] Nickelback latest to join Live Nation in global deal [Reuters]
