AfterDawn: News

Madonna leaves record industry for Live Nation

Madonna has become the latest and biggest artist to leave the record industry when she signed a $120 million USD record deal with the concert promoter Live Nation.

With the deal, Live Nation gains the exclusive rights to three new studio albums, as well as all merchandise, tours and licensing of the Madonna name.



The news follows the announcements of Nine Inch Nails, Oasis and Jamiroqui to sell its music directly to the public, leaving the record labels completely out of the picture. Radiohead recently did something similar by deciding to sell its albums digitally while allowing the fan to decide how much they want to pay for it.

The contract is for 10 years, by which point Madonna will be almost 60.

Warner, who was outbid by Live Nation, wont lose Madonna completely however. She still owes the label one more album and Warner still has the rights for a greatest hits CD. Additionally, Warner gets to keep the rights to songs produced by Madonna while she was with Warner.

Although Madonna's best days as an artist are arguably behind her, many see the recent announcements as the beginning of the end for the record labels. Perhaps they will understand that the artists deserve more of the revenue then is currently given but seeing how long it took the labels to respond to digital music, that is doubtful.

Source:
BetaNews

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Oct 2007 14:59

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• 19 comments

• Kerpalguy

  The beginning of the end - of the recording industry. Alas, those pig headed fools wouldn't have it any other way.
  
  http://www.freejammie.com/

  11.10.2007 15:04 #1

• sssharp

  If I am reading this correctly, the terms are very similar to her current one. So with this LiveNation will own all of the music and do their complaining if someone "steals" the songs. It looks like a new jockey is jumping on the horse to ride their journey.
  "With the deal, Live Nation gains the exclusive rights to three new studio albums, as well as all merchandise, tours and licensing of the Madonna name."

  11.10.2007 16:45 #2

• chaos_zzz

  i don't ge it can somone explain what is live nation?

  11.10.2007 17:07 #3

• phantasee

  Oh man, Madonna? Awesome.

  11.10.2007 17:15 #4

• Kerpalguy

  It appears that Live Nation has no affiliation with the RIAA. Certainly, they have their own lobbyists out and about where it counts. Curious to see what they will do different than the labels.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Nation
  
  Money talks, you know the rest....
  
  
  
  Originally posted by sssharp: If I am reading this correctly, the terms are very similar to her current one. So with this LiveNation will own all of the music and do their complaining if someone "steals" the songs. It looks like a new jockey is jumping on the horse to ride their journey.
  "With the deal, Live Nation gains the exclusive rights to three new studio albums, as well as all merchandise, tours and licensing of the Madonna name."

  11.10.2007 18:08 #5

• JorDogg

  wouldnt good record companys promote the artist though, although some artist prob dont need promoting this could be shit for up-and-coming's eh?

  11.10.2007 20:45 #6

• jimmer

  so...
  instead of riaa suing file sharers, it will be live nation suing file sharers

  11.10.2007 20:48 #7

• georgeluv

  live nation is like a cult, on the club level at least. one of my ex-gfs worked as a promoter for them. F#CK OVERPRICED CLUBS!

  12.10.2007 04:52 #8

• c1c

  Madonna's contract for another 10 years? She will be in a wheel chair performing at 70. And why is Jamiroqui in bold and not Oasis? wtf.

  12.10.2007 06:28 #9

• emugamer

  Originally posted by c1c: Madonna's contract for another 10 years? She will be in a wheel chair performing at 70. And why is Jamiroqui in bold and not Oasis? wtf.cus Oasis pisses everyone off :-P

  12.10.2007 06:44 #10

• DVDdoug

  Quote:Madonna has become the latest and biggest artist to leave the record industry when she signed a $120 million USD record deal with the concert promoter Live Nation. I think the real story here is, "Live Nation Forms Record Label and signs Madonna as its first artist."

  12.10.2007 08:30 #11

• locobrown

  They are doing what Ray Charles did, own all song writing and production master tapes. Every artist is a slave to its record label if they do not establish these terms before signing such contract.

  12.10.2007 17:54 #12

• duke8888

  Well the record company lost another one of its whores LOL

  13.10.2007 04:07 #13

• ZzeusS

  Originally posted by georgeluv: live nation is like a cult, on the club level at least. one of my ex-gfs worked as a promoter for them. F#CK OVERPRICED CLUBS!Sounds like both Madonna and your ex traded up.

  13.10.2007 11:18 #14

• borhan9

  Quote:Although Madonna's best days as an artist are arguably behind her, many see the recent announcements as the beginning of the end for the record labels. Perhaps they will understand that the artists deserve more of the revenue then is currently given but seeing how long it took the labels to respond to digital music, that is doubtful.I tend to agree with this. This is the way of the future.

  13.10.2007 12:56 #15

• vernyvern

  Quote:Originally posted by c1c: Madonna's contract for another 10 years? She will be in a wheel chair performing at 70. And why is Jamiroqui in bold and not Oasis? wtf.cus Oasis pisses everyone off :-Pexactly..jameriqui is a talented musician. oasis -a pair of overpaid loud mouth pricks with nothing to say who copy the beatles badly.

  13.10.2007 13:17 #16

• ericblood

  UMM Is it just me or the last hit she had was in 2000. Thats like 7 years ago. I mean why would you pay someone that is 49 years old this much money? I mean her fans are not that many now. She did have some good music in her day back in the late 80's and 90's. But she is just old news now. It would be like saying. BMG is going to pay Mariah Carey 150 million. Her hits were in the 90's with 2 or 3 the past 5 yrs now. How could they ever even break even paying Madonna 150 mil?? I dont understand can someone please help me with what im missing.

  13.10.2007 17:28 #17

• ericg8

  The way it looks to me, LiveNation makes their money promoting the artist, rather than owning and exploiting the artist.
  
  I realize that this may be a fine line for some people to grasp, but I have spoken to highly "successful" musicians that made absolutely zip off their first big hit album and the associated tour. Record labels lock them into slave-like contracts while they are young and stupid, then sue them if they want out. Look at Prince. Had to change his name because he didn't even own that.
  
  Also look at the way labels treat their customers. Do you really think they treat their artists better?

  14.10.2007 13:34 #18

• lamanga

  So vernyvern, Oasis piss you (and apparently everybody else)off then eh ? Jaramathingy is a self indulgent tosspot whose music is boring & every track sounds the same eg...crap ! If you wanna listen to shite like that ..well then ;sad bastard is a phrase that comes to mind. On the main issue , it had to happen sooner or later . Its welcome news for artists as the record moguls have been screwing people for donkeys years. You are probably too young to remember Sad Cafe, Great Band ! They werent just screwed , hung drawn & quartered more like . Major hit in over 30 countries,sell out tour , TV, Radio plugs / interviews etc... Then back home to the UK to enjoy their proffits ; Oh Yeah ! No chance , all they had waiting was a massive Tax demand . Result, bankruptcy & end of band ! God knows how many more have gone the same way before being given a fair chance. Screw the record industry .

  15.10.2007 14:06 #19