Shakira Will Sing For You, If You Happen To Have $70 Million. Guanabee Reader Not Impressed

Possible reality TV star and probable newly single person, Shakira, might be joining up with concert promoter Live Nation. For a mere seventy million dollars:

The New York Post reported on Tuesday that the so-called 360-degree deal could be worth up to $70 million, though one person close to the artist said she should be worth more based on her recent touring success.

Live Nation’s strategy is to expand its business beyond handling artists’ touring to also offer recording, merchandising, ticket sales and other services that have traditionally been handled by disparate companies.

Live Nation already has a touring relationship with Shakira, having handled the U.S. leg of her “Oral Fixation” tour last year. People familiar with the global tour said it had grossed over $100 million.

We didn’t realize oral paid so well. Of course, not everyone is as wowed by Shakira’s music and hypnotic hips. Take, for example, the following email we received, helpfully numbered for your convenience:

1. Simple question, “Is Shakira the biggest female singer in the United States?” Of course she isn’t, Mariah Carey is. Mariah Carey’s career in the United States alone SHAMES Shakira’s. Only if Shakira were to surpass Mariah Carey in the number of hit songs, albums sold, and ability to influence others would I say she has equaled her success in the Latino world. The bar is just too high.

We too, often, associate a nearly crippling sense of shame with the name “Mariah Carey.”

2. She hasn’t achieved the same level of respect she has for English music as for her Spanish music. A favorite of the Latin Grammys she has never won one for her music in English. She won two American Grammys but that was for her music in Spanish. Yes, the American Grammys and certainly the Latin Grammy are a debatable indicator of quality but they do represent something. Both Oral Fixation and especially Laundry Service got mixed reviews and I don’t recall any magazine or newspaper calling them one of the best albums of the year, respectively.

We don’t recall yesterday. So we’ll agree.

My favorite example has to be the fact that before she did the crossover Shakira was given a very flattering interview by her compatriot Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If she were equally as respected in this country (or at the very least have the same pop cultural impact) fellow Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison would be interviewing her or if you want big name recognition Maya Angelou.

A valid point. We cannot possibly begin to tell you how many times we’ve watched an interview with some singer or young starlet and thought to ourselves, “What would Toni Morrison, or better yet, Maya Angelou have to say about this? She can tell us why the caged bird sings, but she can she tell us who will win the MTV Video Music Award for ‘Monster Single of the Year?’”

3. The astonishing lack of interest in her private life by the mainstream Anglo media. Especially in People en Espanol and Escandalo TV every success she has ever had has been reported as if this were a victory for all Latinos. (Remember how they were all saying that song she co-wrote was going to be nominated for an Oscar…and then it wasn’t?) [Ed. note: No.] How often does People Weekly talk about her? Why has she never been on the cover? Why is it only the Latino media that care that her boyfriend allegedly cheated on her? [Ed. note: Untrue! We care about all sorts of thing.] Yes, she’s never been involved in any real scandal but they’ll find something anyways if the tabloids really wanted to but they have no interest in her because she just isn’t that big here.

Well, there you have it. We’ve got to say, though, that we agree with certain points our reader brought up. And we don’t quite understand why Live Nation, which is headquartered in the United States, is willing to shell out so much money for an artist that has yet to really take hold of the mainstream U.S. market.

Thoughts?
Live Nation eyes Shakira deal: sources [Reuters]