Million Dollar Deals: But Who’s Number One?

Recently revealed: Adele is set to hit the big time and sign a 90 million pound recording contract to Sony Music, the most expensive recording contract ever given to a female artist in the history of the music industry. But who’s number one?

Review our top twelve most expensive recording contracts of all time below:

12) It might be hard to believe but at the bottom of our list is The Rolling Stones who signed a deal for 17 million pounds in 1982 with CBS. The Rolling Stones are now worth an estimated 300 million dollars.

11) With 33 studio albums to her name, Barbra Streisand who is currently worth 340 million dollars is number ten on our list for when she secured herself a 40 million pound contract with Columbia Records in 1992.

10) Equally as impressive is Metallica who in 1995 settled for the 40 million pound deal with Elektra Records.

9) Strangely enough, Mariah Carey is undoubtedly number eight on our list for an easy five album deal for only 50 million pounds that she signed for in 2001 to Virgin. However one year later, Virgin paid Carey 17 million pounds to rid themselves of her due to her lack of success with her album ‘Glitter.’

8) Now, a company claiming rights to your next three albums, obtaining the privilege of promoting your gigs and occupying licensing over an artist’s name seems totally unfair. But for 64 million pounds in 2007, Madonna came around to the idea and gave in; that’s why she’s number seven.

7) All-round legend makes it onto the sixth spot of our list as Prince signed to Warner Bros in 1992 for a whopping 65 million pounds.

6) We can’t leave out Whitney Houston as she signed to a monstrous deal in 2001 with Arista for 70 million pounds in exchange for a few new albums and some of her greatest hits.

5) It’s hard to believe we could still have more to announce on our list of our top 12 most expensive record contracts of all time but we do… It’s safe to say that Robbie Williams was very happy with his deal with EMI in 2002 when he signed a deal to create four albums for 80 million pounds.

4) Blowing Whitney Houston out of the water with a contract with Sony music worth 90 million pounds for Adele, who could be signing the papers any day now!

3) Bruce Springsteen is third on our list for when he signed to Columbia records in 2005. A contract worth 95 million pounds.

2) This next one may shock you; notorious businessman Jay Z landed a 95 million pound contract with Live Nation in 2008.

1) The grand finale: Our number one spot for the worlds most expensive recording contract in history is given to the King of Pop himself – Michael Jackson; who proves that being dead or alive is no barrier within the music industry when his estate obviously inked the deal for the 2010 contract with Sony Music for 164 million pounds!