Tag Archives: Universal Music Group

Estefan Releasing “The Standards” via Sony This Fall

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Gloria Estefan is heading back to the standards with her old label…

The 55-year-old Cuban singer, who is developing a Broadway musical about her life, has signed a multi-album agreement to return to her longtime label Sony Music Entertainment, a deal that will begin with the release of her upcoming English-language album, The Standards, due out this fall.

Gloria Estefan

Estefan’s album will be a set of American standards, with the repertoire having special significance to Estefan, beginning with “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Good Morning Heartache,” which she performed at her very first Tonight Show appearance in 1985 with Miami Sound Machine.

Estefan spent 30 years with Sony, releasing albums in both English and Spanish, both as a solo artist and with Miami Sound Machine. Then, in 2011, she took a hiatus and released Miss Little Havana via a worldwide distribution and marketing deal with Verve Forecast and Universal Music Group. In the U.S., the physical album was sold exclusively through Target. Now, Estefan has returned to Sony and will be promoted through both its Latin and Masterworks arms.

“Gloria is one-of-a-kind — in any language, in any genre,” said Afo Verde, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment for the Latin Region, Spain and Portugal.

“Masterworks is thrilled to be a marketing partner with Sony Latin and Gloria Estefan on this very special project,” added Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks. “It represents another landmark in the career of an artist who continues to be a creative inspiration in all styles of popular music.”

Shakira Finalizing New Deal with Live Nation

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It appears that Shakira is thisclose to finalizing a lucrative deal with Live Nation to release her next albums.

The mega-concert promoter is reportedly nearing a projected $60 million-deal with Sony to release the 35-year-old Colombian singer’s next three albums. The deal would give Live Nation a cut of the profits from Shakira’s sponsorships, merchandising and music recordings.

Shakira

With Sony serving as distributor, the two companies would divide the sales, according to the New York Post .

Shakira—who just released the video for her latest single “Addicted to You” last week—originally signed a 10-year “360-degree” contract with Live Nation in July 2008 valued at between $70 million and $100 million

“Shakira is one of the few truly global artists. She can sell music and tickets in nearly every corner of the globe,” said Live Nation’s global music chief about the previous contract, which related to touring and other rights.

But Live Nation never developed the ability to record and distribute albums, according to the Post, so it has had to team up with traditional record companies to make its “360 deals” work.

In recent years, Live Nation has brokered similar deals with Jay-Z and Madonna. Most recently, Live Nation brokered an estimated $30 million deal with Universal Music Group to distribute Madonna’s latest album, MDNA.