Warners wants it all

Edgar Bronfman, the man who is - let's say - in charge of Warners Music Group, has announced that in future they'll only be interested in signing 360 degree deals with artists.

You can see why this might be appealing to Warners - after all, their core business, the one in which they have expertise, isn't doing as well nowadays. But where would be the value for an artist, when looking for a 360 degree deal, in signing with a company whose expertise lays in the bit that isn't doing as well nowadays?

True, through some of the last month's merger of management company Front Line and Ticketmaster, Warner is now represented on the board of an organisation which offers concert promotion and career management. But Ticketmaster is looking to sign up 360 deals itself - would you stable your horse with someone whose mate also does training if you could just place him with a trainer who runs his own stable as well?