Shakira And Live Nation May Enter A Hair-Raising Partnership Very Soon
Last week, Fox 411’s Roger Friedman hinted that his pals at Live Nation were on the verge of signing hip-wiggling singer Shakira to one of their all-inclusive, big-money 360 deals, despite Michael Cohl, the executive who was pushing for those deals, leaving the company after a dispute over their benefits for the bottom line. Today, Friedman’s corporate bedfellows at the New York Post back up his claim, saying that Shakira and the megapromoter are in the process of wrapping up a $70 million pact that encompasses recording, touring, and merchandise, and that will, the company apparently hopes, make Shakira Live Nation’s official Latin artist representative.
But sources said Live Nation isn’t banking on Shakira’s album sales or even domestic touring to make the deal work.
Aside from US cities with large Hispanic populations, sources said, Shakira lacks the built-in fan base that Madonna and Jay-Z enjoy in the US.
Rather, sources said Live Nation views Shakira as a top-level international touring draw, particularly in Latin America, where she routinely sells out stadiums.
As one source put it: “Shakira’s numbers outside the US are crazy stupid [meaning great].”
These sources said Live Nation expects Shakira to continue growing her international audience and is banking on her to be their Latin music pillar, much like Madonna is for pop and Jay-Z is for hip-hop.
“Live Nation is trying to establish itself in a big way in each genre no matter what the loss leader is going to be on it,” said one major label executive.
In another twist, Shakira also owes her current label, Epic, two albums, which means that her first Live Nation-produced record won’t come out until early 2010 at the earliest. Well, by then maybe they’ll have a plan for producing and distributing their charges’ albums, right?
SIZZLING ASSETS [NYP]
