Author: Darren

Janet Jackson’s new album. We think it’s called “Conversations in a Cafe.” We know it’s produced by Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis of FlyteTime, her long time musical collaborators. We also know it’s NOT with L.A. Reid at Epic, or at Atlantic Records. It’s probably not ready for July 10th, I’ve heard. It’s still being worked on.However: the word is that Janet may be making a 360 deal with LiveNation, a la Madonna or U2 or Nickelback. In that case, LiveNation would handle the tour and license “Conversations.” Janet’s tour is going to be key to the whole thing. I think it could be HUGE. She cooled off a few years ago, got married, took time off. People miss her. With the right music– no sex talk stuff, please, Janet– adult R&B, but the sexiness as part of the vibe– she can make a big comeback now.Why LiveNation? Let’s be reasonable. Janet’s not doing a deal with AEGLive, after Michael’s death etc. Right? And after album crashes from JLO, Mariah, and others, someone has explained to her that albums by artists of a certain age are not going to sell 1 million copies. So a 360 deal is just right.

Harris and Jackson have been dropping clues for weeks, on Twitter.

And which label? I could see Warner Bros., which also brought back Prince this year. And you could see Janet’s catalogue going there since it’s spread out everywhere. But remember– Virgin EMI was where Janet made her biggest deal in 1996. Virgin is now part of Capitol Records, which is Universal Music. That would be a natural fit for the LiveNation deal. We’ll see.