Madonna signed a record contract

The pop-star Madonna has signed a contract with the promoting company Live Nation, refusing to cooperate with major-label Warner Music. The promoter managed to "dive out" the star from the recording company with whom she was working for 25 years, providing many more options for the popularity and promotion of her music.

According to the contract with Live Nation, which is estimated to cost 120 million dollars, the company will handle both, the release of new albums selection, and organization of concert tours, the sale of attributes, the development of websites, DVD production, sale of rights to the use of songs in TV and movies. Madonna will be the first artist from the new unit of the Live Nation-Artist Nation. As reported, the contract was signed for 10 years.

Nevertheless, Madonna has unfulfilled obligations to Warner Music. The singer owed to the company an album and a collection of hits. In addition, Warner maintains the right to the sale and licensing of the entire singer's catalog.

By signing the contract with Live Nation, Madonna enlarged the ranks of the global value of artists who refused the services of major recording companies and resorted to new ways of spreading her music. For example, last week Radiohead put their album on the Internet and offered to the fans the chance to quote themselves the price for downloads on their official website. In July the Prince's album was issued as an annex to the newspaper;Sir Paul McCartney's CDs are distributed on Starbucks network cofee shops.