RANKED: The 10 biggest record deals of all time
Reuters
Adele has come very far for a 28-year-old.
The "Hello" singer is reportedly set to sign a recording deal with Sony Music worth $130 million, which would be both the largest record deal for a British artist and the largest amount for a woman — beating Whitney Houston and Madonna.
Adele's previous contract with independent label XL expired with her last album, "25," which broke just about every sales record it could. So it's no surprise Sony scooped her up. It will get exclusive rights to release her music as a result.
She might be big, but she's not the biggest of all time. See below for the most valuable record deals ever.
10. Prince - $100 million (1992)
Thomson ReutersThe Purple One took in more than Michael Jackson or Madonna in his deal with Warner Bros., which came after his hugely successful "Batman" soundtrack for the company. But the brilliant late musician frequently battled with his label for control of his music and identity.
9. Whitney Houston - $100 million (2001)
Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesHouston signed the biggest deal in the history of label Arista at the time, with a multi-album contract. Sadly, this would be the start of a downward spiral for the artist, who only managed to release three more albums before she died in 2012.
8. Madonna - $120 million (2012)
Thomson ReutersSimilar to its deal with Jay Z, Live Nation in its "360 deal" paid for not just Madonna's future albums, which continue to sell, but also for rights to promoting her high-ticket (though no doubt expensive) world tours.
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