This article appears in Music Week (magazine):

Rolling Stones sign with Universal
00:01 | Wednesday January 16, 2008
By Paul Williams
The Rolling Stones have signed a one-album deal with Universal as the clock runs down on their existing agreement with EMI.

The band, who signed in 1991 to Virgin Records prior to the record company being bought out the following year by EMI, will team up with Universal for the accompanying album to a film Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has made about the band.

The concert film Shine A Light takes in filming by Scorsese of the band across a two-day period at the Beacon Theater in New York City and will go on a national tour around the UK from this April.

The deal signed with Universal is strictly for one album, but it throws a question mark over their continuing relationship with EMI, which has already seen key acts Paul McCartney and Radiohead sign deals with rival companies. The band’s current deal with EMI runs in the spring and covers their entire back catalogue since 1971’s Sticky Figures, all of which is owned by the band. Other titles covered by the deal and controlled by the band include Exile On Main Street, Goat’s Head Soup, Some Girls, Tattoo You, Bridges To Babylon and their most recent studio album A Bigger Bang.

The conclusion of the deal with EMI shortly now raises the prospect of that catalogue moving to another company.

Their earlier recordings, covering the years 1963 to 1971, are overseen by Universal.

Here is the link:

[www.musicweek.com]

A better title would be Rolling Stones New Live Album. I'll happily add it to the collection. April is looking to be a good month for Stones fans. Thanks for breaking the news.

This is the most important news from the Stones in about 3 years, a sign of their future.
Will they sign one album deal (studio, live, vaults) from now on?
Will they re-issue the post 1971 catalog with bonus stuff?

One can only hope and pray!!!

More details here:


January 17, 2008

Mick Jagger loses satisfaction with EMI
Dan Sabbagh: Media Editor
Sir Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones are preparing to follow Sir Paul McCartney and Radiohead and abandon EMI, the crisis-stricken British record label.

The likely defection of the world’s most commercially savvy rock band is a further blow to the credibility of EMI’s new owner, the venture capitalist Guy Hands, who is striving to cut costs amid an artists’ revolt. Sir Mick met Mr Hands during the negotiations over a renewal of the band’s existing EMI contract, but the financier whose best man was William Hague, did not make enough on an impression to persuade him to commit to a new deal.

Mr Hands’s venture capital group Terra Firma bought EMI last year for £2.1 billion. Since then, Radiohead have quit after a row over money and creative control, with singer Thom Yorke saying that the band was forced to make “the sign of the cross and walked away”. Sir Paul McCartney left after describing the company as “really very boring”.

The manager of Robbie Williams, one of EMI’s top selling acts, said last week that the singer was refusing to hand over his next album and accused Mr Hands of behaving like “a plantation owner” who had stumbled into the record industry via “a vanity purchase”. Coldplay, one of the label’s few US chart-toppers. are also considering their position.


The Rolling Stones have a five-year deal worth an estimated £14 million that expires in May. The band are aggressively canvassing alternatives, but The Times has learnt that EMI’s rival, Universal Music, moved into pole position after winning the rights on Tuesday to distribute a one-off live album. In March, The Stones will release a CD to accompany the Martin Scorsese film Shine a Light, in which they are filmed playing two live gigs at New York’s Beacon Theatre, with cameo apperances from Christine Aguilera and Jack White. It will be released by Universal’s Polydor label.

Sir Mick, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood are understood to be “considering their options” over EMI. However, many believe that they will sign up to Universal – unless EMI or another music group is willing to make an aggressive last ditch counter-offer. One industry source said: “You’d expect the Stones to sign up with Universal if everything goes to plan with Shine A Light.”

Sir Mick is widely regarded as being one of the most financially sharp operators in the business. He licensed Start Me Up for Microsoft’s Windows 95 campaign, earning the band an estimated £6 million, but the vast bulk of income is made from touring. The most recent, Bigger Bangtour generated a record $437 million in ticket sales.

Those close to the negotiations said that the band did not feel comfortable with EMI – which is preparing to sack up to 2,000 staff in a restructuring operation. The label is hoping that it can persuade the band into a last-minute change of heart. “We have no indication that The Rolling Stones have any intention to sign to any other record label,” a spokesman said.

The band’s anticipated defection is all the more painful because despite the age of the band members – they are all in their 60s – they remain money spinners, generating an estimated £3 million a year for EMI, making them one of its leading acts.

Unsually, the Stones also control the rights to their catalogue of albums from 1971’s Sticky Fingers, and their intention is to take the catalogue with them. The albums still sell well, with the most recent, A Bigger Bang selling over 2.4 million copies worldwide.

Should the Stones sign to Universal it would reunite their catalogue. Their 1960s albums were controlled by Decca, now part of Universal.



[entertainment.timesonline.co.uk]

dosent sound like they are going to do a new studio album if the deal is for a one off live album.

is there a market for another stones live album.

with live licks and no security quite recent aswell as the new film called shine a light, the biggest bang and 40 licks.

i would prefer a new studio album.

Another live album???? Please!

How many renditions of BS, JJF,HTW, SFTD,SMU, etc...etc...etc...can we listen too?

As for "vaults" stuff....there are enough boots out there for that,

I personally feel that ABB is one of their best albums post Jimmy Miller so I'd love another new studio disc.

Of course another studio-album what we are all waiting and hoping for... But, what I just don´t understand, is:
1) That they don´t officially release some of all the excellent material that´s floating around as studio-bootlegs,
2) And especially, that they don´t attempt to produce a pure blues-record, possibly with 1/2 the songs performed acustic. It just seems so obvious to me... And it would be a very nice way for them to start rounding up their 1/2 century long careers!

They should stop with the cut-up and abbreviated song selections for live albums and just give us a straight full show. Make it a box set (yeah right)and just give us both Beacon shows--as is. No funny business. Don't edit anything out...don't chop up any songs...don't mix any songs around. Nothing. Simplicity at its best.

Would this ever happen? Prolly not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-01-17 02:26 by Justin.

This is a non story.

Nobody cares about another live cd.

Quote
James Kirk
This is a non story.

Nobody cares about another live cd.

Why are you on this message board if you don't care about a Rolling Stones release?

Actually I care cuz I was at the 2nd show! so i'm VERY happy that a Beacon live album is coming out!

I'm looking forward to it. I loved the setlist from those shows.

yes, we'll at least get to hear keith's set, uncut!

What album was Sticky Figures?

Quote
georgelicks
the venture capitalist Guy Hands

On the contrary, I have nothing to do with this issue.

please let it be available on vinyl too !
The Stones have always been good to their luddite fans in that respect. I hope it remains so ;^)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-01-17 10:12 by Spud.

If they release a new live album with stuff from Beacon (so: Shine A Light-movie)
"normal" people could be more interested as usual because of the to expeted high media-interest after they announced coming to Berlin on February 7th.

It could sell OK I think. I also think it might potentially be one of the better live albums if it's well mixed and produced .

Quote
RollingStonesFan
If they release a new live album with stuff from Beacon (so: Shine A Light-movie)
"normal" people could be more interested as usual because of the to expeted high media-interest after they announced coming to Berlin on February 7th.

You're right for sure, but only to some extend I'm afraid. Filmfestivals only have a limited public, and the span of attention only reaches as wide as filmfans and the people who care to read the culture-page of their newspaper. And then only in Germany. Of course there will be a group outside this, large in number, but still too small to really make a difference. I doubt, for example, that here in the Netherlands (neighbouring Germany) the BFF will be covered by anything more than an article in the newspaper, discussing the direction of the program and mentioning the opener, a snippet on tv from the opening night perhaps. 99,9% sure that the presence of the Stones themselves will not be mentioned. Of course I'm talking about the general mainstream media, but that is also where the 40 Licks-public, and most of the Stones fans too I suspect, will be found...

Hope I'm wrong though, and personally I would really like to have both DVD and Live-album on my shelve... empty of course, a disc on a shelve is no good at all!

Jelle

Predictable that they'd release a soundtrack to Shine A Light.


Universal would male perfect sense as caretakers of the post-Abcko back catalogue. Firstly, they own the Abcko releases, and secondly they are very good at archive/deluxe releases - two CDs, lavish packaging etc etc. I can well imagine Sticky Fingers, Exile and Some Girls getting the deluxe 2 CD treatment.

Maybe Keith rocks the boat by doing something unusual for this event: for example his clothing: can't believe Keith will wear a chic dinner jacket with cravat - rather a raunchy vest and headband...or maybe he defies the smoking ban in public (indoor) places, which is in force since January 1st. I guess he'll come up with something special

[news.sky.com]

And here ...

[news.bbc.co.uk]

well the release of a Shine A Light soundtrack CD was predictable. of course, a great deal of work and attention went into the production of the Beacon concert recordings (probably a greater deal than the one that went into Live Licks!) because they are used for a movie. and as the work is done, theres is no wonder that a live CD as a nice accompanying product is on the horizon.

the big news is that this CD will not be released by Virgin/EMI, but by Universal, and that this deal is announced as a strictly 1 CD record deal.

so in the moment, the future is uncertain concerning a new studio album and the back catalog - a situation that can change any minute, of course!

if they sign another deal with Unviversal for a new album and the back catalog, I would happily applaud such a decision. Other than Sony-BMG or Universal, EMI-Virgin was never famous for a creative handling of back catalogs. Universal is quite possibly the company they need to bring us Deluxe Editions of their back catalog, if not right from the start (it will take some time to prepare such releases), then probably over the next years.

I really really really really hope it doesn't contain yet more live versions of Brown sugar, Satisfaction etc ... that would be SO spectacularly unimaginative as to be appalling. PLEASE let it contain stuff we've not heard before, not necessarily ONLY what might have been played at the two Beacon shows, but maybe also stuff they might have rehearsed. I could live with another "Stripped" of sorts quite easily. But if it contained among other things yet another live version of a warhorse ... er I'm not too sure about that. So, some careful thought and consideration please boys, that's what we ask for !!

So OK, new live album out in March or April. What's of greater interest though is "what after that" ? In that respect, I'd agree with georgelicks ...

<<< This is the most important news from the Stones in about 3 years, a sign of their future. Will they sign one album deal (studio, live, vaults) from now on ?
Will they re-issue the post 1971 catalog with bonus stuff ? >>>

Main thing is, they're STILL rollin'. And it sounds as if they've no plans to STOP rollin'. To be honest, that in itself is almost good enough alone for me. I often try and think of what my reaction might be on the day that sitting at the top of page 1 in the IORR Tell Me forum is the thread entitled "It's All Over Now" - Rolling Stones hang it up, or Rolling Stones are no more !! Aaaaaaagh ... big hole suddenly enters life. Shit and double shit, time to implement "crisis mitigation" measures, whatever they may be. "Open large bottle of wine, consume in entirety, and wallow in misery and self pity" is probably the way I'll go !! But NOT YET people, NOT YET !!

I have a feeling the old troopers might surprise us yet in 2008.

paulywaul,

it will most probably contain the songs which are featured in the movie (as far as I remember, there was a thread about these songs a couple of months ago) so it will be a mixture of warhorses and lesser known songs. depending on the movies lenght, they will either cut it down to get it onto one CD or release the soundtrack as a double CD which will provide space for the extra song or two that is-are not featured in the movie (which would also be a nice sales point if the CD content is not 100% the same as the movie and later DVD soundtrack). worst case scenario is of course that if they indeed cut it down to a single CD that songs like Champagne And Reefer and other rare stuff end on the cutting floor to make room for another version of Brown Sugar...

whatever they will do, these will be business decisions and we as fans have no say in them. it all depends on the way Universal sees the best marketing chances. if Universal sees a better sales potential by including something special as a sales incentive, then were lucky. if they see their sales point in a greatest hits live kinda thing, then were ... (fill in the blanks).

but I guess those decions were already made and part of the deal they already signed, so the only thing we can do is wait and hold our breaths!



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2008-01-17 12:26 by alimente.

Opening and closing with a warhorse, in between 8 great versions of lesser known songs, then a second disc containing the duets and some surprises...? Keep dreaming... ;-)

Jelle

The big news in this is obviously, that artists stepping out are effectively helpin EMI in shrinking towards indie label size - something from which they are still a long way away.
It's good to hear that the Stones have found a home for their movie soundtrack album.
But for me, the movie itself is the interesting thing, not the soundtrack album.
One album deals looks like the way to go for established artists these days. That way, an artist can reassure himself that the label puts maximum effort into the project. If not, the artist just doesn't renew next time around!