So, while you were all out of town taking walks by the sea (oh, was that just me?), the top bods at Warner Music in the US were busy inking their new deal with Linkin Park. As previously reported, despite a rather public falling out last Spring, Warner and Linkin Park's management had resolved their differences by the end of the year, and just after Christmas the New York Times reported a new recording contract had been signed. The paper reckons the band, a surprisingly big global seller for the major, will get a $15 million advance from the new five album deal, plus of 20% royalty.
The new deal presumably means that Warner have convinced the band and their management company The Firm that, despite being under the control of Edgar Bronfman Jnr and his investment banking friends, Warner will not become, as they claimed last year, "unable to compete in today's global music marketplace, resulting in a failure to live up to WMG's fiduciary responsibility to market and promote" the band's music.
Of course everyone assumed that those comments from Linkin Park and The Firm made just ahead of Warner's flotation last May were always intended as a tactic in ongoing contract negotiations rather than a genuine viewpoint. Either way, The Firm seem more on-message as 2006 begins. The New York Times quotes the band's representatives as saying last week: "We would like to thank Linkin Park fans worldwide for their continued support. Despite initial concerns after last year's change in ownership, the band is pleased with the direction of the company and in Warner Brothers Records' ability to effectively market their music worldwide under the leadership of Tom Whalley".