Post on Shakira/LN deal with Sony

GREENBACKS DON’T LIE: Live Nation is close to a multimillion-dollar deal with Sony Music to release Shakira’s new albums, Claire Atkinson reports in the N.Y. Post, echoing earlier reports from our own I.B. Bad. According to Atkinson’s sources, Live Nation’s three-album Shakira deal with Sony could be worth as much as $60 million, with the two partners agreeing to split sales, although some Sony insiders say the deal is worth less than that amount. A Live Nation spokeswoman declined to comment. In July 2008, Shakira bolted Epic for a 10-year deal with Live Nation valued between $70 million and $100 million. Meanwhile, Atkinson notes, Live Nation is going back to its roots in concerts and ticketing after recognizing that it can’t match the labels’ prowess in the recorded music realm. (5/7a)