
The music biz is abuzz with rumors that Madonna is planning to leave her longtime label Warner Bros. and sign a $100-$180 million deal with Live Nation that will cover all her future touring, recording and merchandising. “Madonna has a new CD coming out on Warner Bros. Records at the end of this year and early next year. She also has a greatest hits package on WB,” the singer’s rep, Liz Rosenberg, told Rock Daily. “After that she is a free agent and I believe her managers are in talks with Warner Bros. as well as Live Nation regarding her future as a recording and touring artist.”
Madonna has been with Warner Bros. since her self-titled debut in 1983. Over the past twenty-four years she’s released eleven studio albums, five compilations, two live LPs and two soundtracks, which have together sold approximately 175 million worldwide. In 2004, Warner bought out Madonna’s partial ownership of Maverick Records, the label she started in 1992 (the roster had included Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch). In early August of this year, Warner’s revenues from recorded music fell 3.7 percent.
Madonna has had pretty good luck so far with Live Nation: her last three world tours have been produced by the company and grossed $400 million. Live Nation, the country’s largest live-entertainment and venue-management company, has been taking steps to expand beyond tour promotion and into artist development and management. The company recently signed a long-term deal with Maroon 5 that means they’ll serve as the band’s sole promoter on their fall 2007 tour and a trek in the summer of 2008. “This is what everyone has said they would like to see — the promoter taking a step in the direction of helping to grow an artist’s career,” Jason Garner, president of North American music for Live Nation told Billboard when that deal was announced.
In other Madonna-related rumors, word has it Madonna and Justin Timberlake, with whom the Material Mom is working on her next album, will make an appearance together at September 9th’s MTV Video Music Awards (Update: Timberlake said the duet at the VMAs is a no-go on Access Hollywood.)

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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.