Tuesday 20 July 2010

U2 tops list of music's biggest earners


If you can sell a concert ticket, in the music business you can make money. In fact, Forbes magazine suggests, that appears to be the only way to make significant money in the music business.
Forbes has issued its Top 10 earners list of musicians between June 2009 and June 2010, and only two of them, Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, have had abundant sales of recorded music. On top of that, only two of the acts pulled in more than $100 million, a plateau that Forbes speculates will not be topped next year.
U2 (tickets), which led the list, was one of four rock 'n' roll acts in the Top 10, and of them, only Coldplay, which tied with BEP for No. 10, is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. AC/DC and Bruce Springsteen were Nos. 2 and 3. Springsteen has been off the road since late November; AC/DC just finished a world tour that started in late July. Both acts performed in a mix of stadiums and arena, while U2 played only stadiums.
Beyonce (No. 3) and Jay-Z (No. 6) are now certifiable as pop music's wealthiest family. His income, bolstered by a tour that pulled in $1 million per night, derives from his nightclub chain and most current album; hers is split between tour income and fashion related money.
Madonna clocked in at No. 8, below two of her acolytes, Britney Spears (No. 5) and Lady Gaga (No. 7). Kenny Chesney, at No. 9, was the lone country performer on the list.
Lady Gaga is the only act who is having concurrent hit singles and tours -- not to mention important licensing deals with film and television -- while pulling in endorsement revenue. She is aligned with Polaroid, Virgin Mobile and Monster Cable.
In estimating each act's income, Forbes added touring income plus endorsement and other business deals. It makes complete sense in the case of Spears, who has deals with Elizabeth Arden and Candies, and Beyonce, who pulls in close to half her earnings from Nintendo, L'Oreal and her fashion line.In the case of Jay-Z, however, investments are confused with revenue generators; it's unlikely he is seeing much of a return on his percentages in the New Jersey Nets or the Broadway musical "Fela!"

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Denver Show Rescheduled For U2, May 21, 2011


U2 mega rock band has announced the makeup date for its show that was supposed to take place in June but was postponed because of lead singer Bono's back injury. U2's 360 tour will now hit Denver on May 21, 2011. The concert at Invesco Field at Mile High will be the first American stop on the tour. Bono, whose actual name is Paul Hewson, underwent emergency spine surgery in May. He was released from the hospital and doctors recommend he get extensive rest.

Tuesday 13 July 2010

U2: Canadian dates set for U2 gigs next summer


U2's the new dates for postponed shows are in, and Canadian fans of the Irish rockers will have to wait until next summer to look them in action.
Bono and the rest of the band will play Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on June 1, 2011, the Hippodrome in Montreal on July 8 and July 9, and the Rogers Centre in Toronto on July 11.
The gigs replace shows originally scheduled for this summer.
They were postponed after Bono injured his back and required surgery.
The North American tour will begin next May 21 in Denver and end in Minneapolis on July 23.

Sunday 4 July 2010

U2 star Adam Clayton is suing bank and accountants



The U2 guitarist is suing his accountants and Bank of Ireland Private Banking for several million euro in damages for Adam Clayton.
The musician alleges his former personal assistant Carol Hawkins misappropriated over €4.8m from his bank accounts.
Mr Clayton alleges that his accountants Gaby Smyth & Company assured him in September 2008 that the sum involved was around €13,000.
The U2 star claims it was in fact €4.4m.
The case will be heard at the commercial court on Monday.