The biggest rock band in the world has made a deal with the largest concert promoter in the world that cements their next 12 years as a partnership.
U2 has joined Madonna on the Live Nation Artists roster but unlike Madge, the Irish band will keep its recordings and publishing within the Universal Music Group empire. Deal does include U2's  merchandising, digital and branding rights.
This time, Live Nation did not disclose the financial arrangement, but it does not sound that far off from the way the Rolling Stones have been conducting business for years. Band gets a lump sum for a certain amount of dates and it is up to the promoter to make it work financially on their end. Naturally, both sides take a cut from the profits.
Bono is obviously drinking the Live Nation Kool-Aid. The buying and selling spree of LN chief Michael Rapino - designed to focus the company strictly on concert promotion, ticketing and merchandising - is paying off as it looks very much like a one-stop of the future. Rapino's pitch, now that his ducks are in a row, is that the concert promoter can have a lasting and enduring relationship with a music consumer beyond the two or three hours spent inside the concert venue.
"(U2 wants) a closer, more direct relationship between the band and its audience and Live Nation has pledged to help us with that," Bono said in a statement.
It is highly conceivable that when U2 issues the album they are working on now, they may well find a need to promote the album with viral efforts similar to one being executed by R.E.M. over the last month to raise awareness and enthusiasm for "Accelerate," which comes out Tuesday.
Difference for R.E.M., though, is a dramatic return to a raw guitar sound that the band and Warner Bros. believe may well help it outperform their last three releases, which have fared poorly at retail. U2, on the other hand, has been the rare beacon of success in the rock marketplace since the early 1980s.

U2 is not leaving Universal. Manager Paul McGuinness debunked a foxnews.com story in a correspondence with Hits. U2 has apprently re-upped with UMG for four more albums.

Shot in Mexico City, Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires and Melbourne, Australia, U2 performs 15 tunes in "U2 3D," which opens Jan. 25 after premiering at Sundance. Songs performed in the G-rated, 85-minute film, which boasts some impressive uses of 3D technology, are:

Vertigo / New Year's Day / Beautiful Day / Sometimes You Can't Make It On You Own / Love and Peace / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / U.N. Declaration of Human Rights / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name / One / The Fly / With or Without You / Yahweh

It's that time of year folks, when record companies figure the time is right to sell music fans music they already own along with some bonus material. Hence, the beginning of the Deluxe Edition bonanza.
There are, of course, artists doing the bonus packages simultaneously with the standard release; count Duran Duran, Backstreet Boys, Daft Punk, Andrea Bocelli and Annie Lennox in that crew.
Paul McCartney is among the first entries in the Deluxe sweepstakes looking for bonus income from holiday shoppers and Aly & AJ will be among the last. Apparently Hollywood Records believes there will be a 12th Day of Christmas gift certificate rush and, come Jan. 8, the deluxe edition of "Insomniac" will be the freshest looking item on the store shelves.
Here's a look at a few "Bonus Babies" (tangent: remember that Don Drysdale-Greg Brady conversation when that term came up?) and the "deluxe" elements:

ALBUM:U2 - Joshua Tree
RELEASE DATE: Nov. 20
BONUS: A CD features B-sides and rarities from the "Joshua Tree" sessions, a 36-page book featuring liner notes by Bill Flanagan with a special essay by The Edge, previously unseen photos by Anton Corbijn and handwritten lyrics by Bono. A special deluxe edition includes a DVD.
WRAP IT UP FACTOR: Celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular and landmark albums ever, figure at least 50% of the copies sold will appear under Christmas trees with the words "To Dad" written on them. 
   
ALBUM:Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/Lovesounds
RELEASE DATE: Nov. 27
BONUS: Three additional tracks on the audio disc, "Until The End Of Time" with Beyonce and new versions of "Sexyback" and "Sexy Ladies" and a bonus DVD with music videos for "Sexyback," "What Goes Around" and "Lovestoned" along with the "Making of's" and live performances.
WRAP IT UP FACTOR: Timing is perfect for desperate moms and last-minute gift-buyers looking for a final trinket. All the "future Mrs. Timberlake's" will be buying the thing in its first two weeks.   

ALBUM: Pink - I'm Not Dead
RELEASE DATE: Dec. 4
BONUS: Undetermined
WRAP IT UP FACTOR: This will require some true marketing genius to avoid stacks of returns.

ALBUM: Paul Weller - Wild Wood
RELEASE DATE: An import probably available now
BONUS: Personally overseen by the former Jam and Style Council leader Weller and producer Brendan Lynch, his 1993 solo album is augmented with B-sides, demos, alternate versions, BBC session tracks and previously unreleased songs from the album's original promotional campaign, plus a 32-page booklet with new liner notes and interviews with Weller and others.
WRAP IT UP FACTOR: The ultimate gift for any Britpop fan to show that the buyer is willing to put in a bit of extra effort. It won't be making any sales charts. but it's a delight knowing that it exists.

ALBUM: NRBQ - Christmas Wish
RELEASE DATE: In stores
BONUS: Fan club-only "Christmas Wish" EP has been expanded and made commercially available for the first time. Originals and unique arrangements of Christmas classics recorded in studios, at concerts and at home between 1969 and 1999.
WRAP IT UP FACTOR: No band was more fun while U2 was getting famous for being serious and today their cult remains just as devoted as Bono's fans. This one will get considerable play in the Gallo household.