Idolator

Concert monolith Live Nation has made lots of headlines for signing artists like Madonna and Jay-Z to big-money 360 deals, where the company pays out hefty advances in exchange for a piece of every piece in the revenue pie, from concert tickets to merch to album sales. But those deals are causing trouble in the corporate offices of the company: According to the Wall Street Journal, chief executive Michael Rapino wants to hold off on signing away any more money before someone figures out whether or not these deals are a good idea in the face of a possibly slowing economy, while chairman Michael Cohl wants to sign as many as 15 more of them, including one with Shakira and her hips. And this difference in opinion has apparently boiled over into what the WSJ is referring to as a "full-blown feud," complete with threats about terms of employment contracts! More »

U2 has signed a 12-year-deal with Live Nation, handing their worldwide merchandising, digital and branding rights over to the concert-promotion behemoth. The size of the payoff was not announced, but it should be considerably smaller than the $120 million the monolith shelled out to Madonna, as the band will continue recording for Universal Music Group. But with the majors rushing to sign their acts to all-encompassing "360" deals in the face of dwindling music sales, "merchandise and licensing rights, sponsorship and strategic alliances, digital rights, fan club/Web sites and other marketing and creative services" may be the sweeter plums. Which would you rather own, the copyright to Bono's mug or the sequel to How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb?[Reuters / Photo: AP]