U2 Signs Deal With LiveNation

In a move sure to have a huge ripple effect in the music industry, worldwide concert promoter LiveNation announced this morning that they have agreed to a twelve year deal with U2. Unlike their contract with Madonna, the U2 deal only includes concert promotion, merchandising and the band's website (U2 album distribution and publishing will still be handled by Universal Music Group, at least for the time being). The contract has not yet officially been signed and no dollar amount was named. Regarding the deal with the concert giant (who have handled most every U2 tour for the past two decades), Bono said "We've been dating for over twenty years now, it's about time we tied the knot."

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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