LUZ KEEPING MADONNA WARM

Page Six



THANKS to Madonna's high-powered pals, she isn't recovering from her injuries alone. Madge, who recently got tossed from her horse in the Hamptons, has reunited with her Brazilian man-candy, Jesus Luz, and insiders are crediting her friends in the fashion world for it. Marc Jacobs "wrote a letter of support for Jesus' work permit" to allow him to stay in the country, said our source. "Marc campaigned for Jesus, saying he is highly talented and a necessity to the label." Last week, Women's Wear Daily reported Dolce & Gabbana's fall-winter menswear campaign will feature Luz. Our tipster said, "All these fashion lines are hiring Jesus as a favor to Madonna. As long as he can legally work in the US, they can be together." Madonna's rep said she's "not at all involved in managing the career of Jesus Luz. His Dolce job was arranged through his agents," and Madonna hadn't asked anyone to help him. Jacobs' rep had no comment.

Madonna Tops 2009 Music Money Makers List

Billboard

Ray Waddell, Nashville

If anyone had any doubt that touring is where the money is in the music business, a quick look at the top Moneymakers for 2008 should hammer the point home.

Regardless of genre, retail sales or radio play, each of the 20 acts on Billboard's Moneymakers list toured in 2008. (Taylor Swift mostly opened for Brad Paisley but doesn't get credit for that revenue). For almost all of them, touring generated the most revenue. And in a year when recorded-music sales declined yet again, many earned more at the box office than ever before.

1. Madonna: $242,176,466
2. Bon Jovi: $157,177,766
3. Bruce Springsteen: $156,327,964
4. The Police: $109,976,894
5. Celine Dion: $99,171,237
6. Kenny Chesney: $90,823,990
7. Neil Diamond: $82,174,000
8. Rascall Flatts: $63,522,160
9. Jonas Brothers: $62,638,814
10. Coldplay: $62,175,555
11. The Eagles: $61,132,213
12. Lil Wayne: $57,441,334
13. AC/DC: $56,505,296
14. Michael Buble: $50,257,364
15. Miley Cyrus: $48,920,806
16. Taylor Swift: $45,588,730
17. Journey: $44,787,328
18. Billy Joel: $44,581,010
19. Mary J. Blige: $43,472,850
20. Kanye West: $42,552,402

The top five Moneymakers are also the five acts that earned the most on tour, and in the same order, according to Billboard Boxscore. Eight of the top 10 Moneymakers are in the Boxscore top 10.

Even more remarkably, the top Moneymaker -- Madonna -- only had the 50th-best-selling album in the country. She ranked 14th on the list of digital track sellers and didn't place on the ringmasters chart. Her place on Moneymakers, like her $242,176,466 income, comes from the highest-earning tour that took place in 2008.

In fact, those questioning whether Madonna rates a reported 10-year, $120 million 360 deal with Live Nation might reconsider. Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour took in $229,886,340 at the box office, although the extravagant production might have cost up to 40% of that gross, according to industry estimates. The margin is much better on tour merchandise, where Madonna probably raked in more than $18 million in sales, not counting her licensing business.

Of course, nothing helps reduce tour production costs like more touring. So Madonna will perform another run of concerts this summer -- 25 shows in the United Kingdom and Europe -- which will add to the take of the top-grossing tour by a female or solo artist.

Outside of the United Kingdom, all of Madonna's concerts will be in stadiums, so she'll gross several million dollars per night. By fall, Sticky & Sweet will have run for 80 shows and earn a place in the top five grossing tours of all time.

This is the first time Madonna has ever extended a tour. "It absolutely hasn't happened in the four tours I've been involved with," says Madonna's tour producer Arthur Fogel, chairman of global music for Live Nation.

"There's been talk [of extending] during each one, but it has never come to be. But with this one, she loves the show, she's had a great time and she's excited about playing new markets."

LIVE NATION AND TICKETMASTER EYEING MERGER

NY Post

In a blockbuster deal that will realign the music industry's balance of power, concert-promotion giant Live Nation and Ticketmaster Entertainment, the nation's largest ticketing operation, are planning to merge, The Post has learned.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, talks between the two companies are at an advanced stage and a vote on a deal could be put to Live Nation's board as soon as Wednesday.

The source cautioned, however, that talks are at a delicate stage and could fall apart amid last-minute wrangling over finer points of a merger.

The source said the deal is currently seen as a merger of equals, with the board of the combined company totaling 14 members to accommodate equal representation from both companies.

Barry Diller, CEO of Ticketmaster parent company InterActiveCorp, will serve as chairman of the combined company, while Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino will be chief executive.

It's unclear what responsibilities Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, the legendary manager of The Eagles, Guns N' Roses and other acts, will have in the new company, though it is assumed he will have some role.

Representatives for Live Nation refused to comment. Ticketmaster and Diller did not return calls and emails for comment.

The impending merger comes as Live Nation and Ticketmaster were about to go head-to-head on the ticketing front, as Live Nation spent much of last year building the infrastructure to support its own ticketing business.

That, in turn, prompted fear on Wall Street about Ticketmaster's prospects, particularly since the company has only recently been spun out of IAC as a standalone business.

Indeed, Diller brought Azoff to Ticketmaster in part because Azoff's control of artist-management firm Frontline Management would help even the playing

field against Live Nation.

While Live Nation's foray into ticketing was cheered by Wall Street, its rich deals to sign top acts like Madonna and Jay-Z were roundly criticized.

Live Nation's stock fell precipitously as a result of the bad publicity and an ugly internal power struggle between Rapino and former chairman Michael Cohl erupted into public view.

Rapino won the battle, and if he can sign the deal with Ticketmaster, he may have won the war. Without question, a combined Live Nation-Ticketmaster will be able to deal with the major record labels on its terms rather than vice versa.