Sure nobody buys music anymore, but who cares? It’s not about sales/downloads it’s about listens, music industry guru Bob Lefsetz wrote in his recent Lefsetz letter. But what it’s really about is shows. Artists used to tour to promote their albums, now they drop a record to have a reason to tour. But the biggest deals for those special few who can get them are residencies. With a residency you don’t have to hit the road, the fans come to you. Sinatra and the Rat Pack were Vegas mainstays in the day, and then Celine Dion crushed some records with her residency at Caesars Palace in Vegas. But the biggest surprise of all–as far as staying power goes–is the former teen queen Britney Spears!
In September she resigned with Planet Hollywood in Vegas to extend her residency there through 2017. Her first deal, a 2-year contract, paid Spears $30 million to do–wait for it–just 48 shows a year. Holy crap! And the big news out of Vegas for Spears? She just resigned for two more years! (Forgive the exclamations, but this is incredible.) Below is a taste of what people who pay up to $500 a ticket will see at Planet Hollywood when Spears takes the stage. Perhaps most surprising is to learn that Britney Spears is working on her 9th studio album. The Beatles only made 13.
