Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the big, famous concert promoter that counts Madonna as a member of its roster, reported dismal Q4 results on Monday after the bell. A huge write-down in goodwill related to a bad decline in market capitalization led to a loss per share of $4.33. That was many times more than the year-ago loss of 25 cents per share in the similar period. According to this source, Live Nation lost 89 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Wall Street was thinking that maybe the promoter would lose 22 cents per share. Quite the disparity there, eh?

Looking through the press release, I see that there's a lot going on in terms of acquisitions and adjustments. Overall, I came away less than thrilled with the business. I wasn't taken by the statement of cash flows, and I have to wonder how difficult it will be to close on the Ticketmaster (NASDAQ: TKTM) merger. There's talk of antitrust issues.

Continue reading Live Nation not so lively in Q4

Live Nation not so lively in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The deal could be worth $150 million. Live Nation (NYSE:LYV), which is normally in the concert business, is close to a 10-year deal that would give that company a piece of every aspect of the business dealings of rapper Jay-Z. The arrangement could hardly be more broad. According to The Wall Street Journal: "Live Nation would underwrite other of Mr. Carter's (Jay-Z) business ventures in areas such as clothing, out of a fund of $25 million; in the past, Mr. Carter has been involved in clothing and nightclub businesses."

The contract is a huge risk for Live Nation, and one that it probably should not take. Shares in the company have fallen from a 52-week high of $24.09 to $12.70. The firm's profits have been unusually modest. In the final quarter of 2007, LYV had operating income of $4 million on revenue of just of $1 billion. Debt service cost the company $16.6 million. The company has long-term debt of just under $1 billion.

While signing up huge stars for long contracts may seem to be attractive, a lot can go wrong over ten years, especially if the star in question loses much of his popularity. Live Nation has a similar deal with Madonna. Perhaps that is why the company's shares have done so poorly

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Live Nation (LYV) makes huge bet on Jay-Z originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Does this warrant comment from distinguished economists? Bloomberg News thinks so. Jeffrey Garten, a Yale School of Business professor who was the Commerce Department's undersecretary for international trade in the Clinton administration opined: "What we're seeing is a very broad rebalancing of economic and political power in the world. The scales are moving, and they're moving quite fast."

With the dollar down 60% since January 2001, the decline in the dollar is probably going to be hard to reverse. Harvard University professor Kenneth Froot, who has been a consultant to the Fed said, "There is no doubt that the dollar must sink against periphery currencies to reflect their increase in competitiveness and productivity."

If you agree with Garten, Froot, Bundchen, and Jay-Z, it may be time to buy Euros. Or maybe it's too late.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter.

First Gisele Bundchen, now Jay-Z swaps dollars for Euros originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been three weeks since our Money Face-Off feature ran here at BloggingStocks and on AOL, offering you the opportunity to share who you though had the financial edge in a series of twenty head-to-head match-ups. So I thought I'd take another look and see how things have worked out.

It's hard to pick just one big winner. In terms of the largest lead over a rival, Ivanka Trump easily beats Paris Hilton with 89% of the vote. Others holding big leads over their opponents include Tiger Woods, Warren Buffett, Steven Spielberg, and Rupert Murdoch.

In terms of receiving the most votes, the clear leader is the Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart match-up, with just short of 150,000 votes. Other big vote getters were Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham, Rudy Giuliani vs. Michael Bloomberg, and Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs. In terms of the liveliest discussions in the comments, the winners are Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart, Erin Burnett vs. Maria Bartiromo, and Bono vs. Angelina Jolie. Also check out the comments for the J.K. Rowling vs. J.R.R Tolkien, Tiger Woods vs. David Beckham, and Ivanka Trump vs. Paris Hilton posts.

As for the face-off posts here that got the most attention, the clear winner is Erin Burnett vs. Maria Bartiromo, with more than 13,000 hits. Lindsay Lohan vs. Britney Spears and Oprah Winfrey vs. Martha Stewart also attracted lots of readers.

Results for all the face-offs follow below, but keep in mind that the voting is still open. It's not too late to add your vote or let us know what you think.

Continue reading Money Face-Off Big Winners: Oprah, Tiger Woods, Ivanka Trump, Erin Burnett

Money Face-Off Big Winners: Oprah, Tiger Woods, Ivanka Trump, Erin Burnett originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been a week since our Money Face-Off posts ran here on BloggingStocks and less than a week since the Money Face-Offs were featured on the AOL welcome page, and the response has been terrific. Many of the face-off polls have more than 50,000 votes thus far, and some of the match-ups are very close.

The closest of all is the face-off of CNBC anchors Erin Burnett and Maria Bartiromo: 50/50 with more than 61,000 votes so far. And the post has garnered 39 comments so far. The commenters have strong opinions, whether defending Bartiromo or Burnett, wishing other anchors had been included, complaining about the photos, or even questioning the Money Face-Off feature itself. Be sure to check it out.

The face-off between the former and current New York City mayors, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, garnered more than 67,000 votes. While Bloomberg has his defenders, presidential candidate Giuliani currently has a small lead in this match-up, with a little over half the votes. Can he hold on to that lead, though?

The match-up of supermodels turned businesswomen, Tyra Banks vs. Heidi Klum, also has more than 50,000 votes so far. In this case, it's Klum in the lead with about 55 percent of the vote. Only one reader, a Tyra Banks fan, has commented so far. Feel free to add your thoughts about which former supermodel you think is more successful.

Continue reading Money Face-Off recap: The 'Money Honey' catfight, and Giuliani's slim lead here too

Money Face-Off recap: The 'Money Honey' catfight, and Giuliani's slim lead here too originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

It's small wonder hip-hop stars and brand empire builders Diddy and Jay-Z are known as much for their rap sheets as their balance sheets; after all, they have more AKA's than most mafiosos.

P. Diddy is only "P." in New Zealand and the U.K., and I'll always know him as "Puffy" (and "Puff Daddy," "Sean Combs," and "Sean John"). He's gone through more name changes than Prince and all those formerly-known-as such.

Jay-Z, whose given name was also "Shawn" (though spelled differently from Diddy/Daddy/Puffy's "Sean"), also goes by "Jiggy," "Jazzy," and "Jay Hova." While it seems obvious that Jay-Z would win in a battle of the boys from the block (after all, he's dating Beyonce), and he is, after all, officially richer, still there is controversy. Whose business empire is more diverse and eclectic? Whose criminal record is more sordid? Whose clothing line is more inappropriate for the toddlers they market toward?

Putting criminal records aside for the time being (and for the record, I think Jay-Z, with a stabbing incident on his rap sheet, beats Diddy, whose gun controversy ended with an acquittal and -- most importantly -- zero bullets actually connecting with human flesh), let's compare the rappers' empires:

Continue reading Money Face-Off: P. Diddy vs. Jay-Z

Money Face-Off: P. Diddy vs. Jay-Z originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The richest ... rap mogul? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been known to turn up my nose at (free) pitchers of Miller Lite, exclaiming "this [potential explicative] stuff taste like formaldehyde!" Many of my closest friends and family members, however, prefer the "tastes great/less filling" brew to any from Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD). Though everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, when it comes to the battle of the light lagers, I don't go quietly into the night with this one. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in St. Louis, which would arguably cease to function without BUD dollars. Maybe I simply prefer red to blue. Or perhaps it's because I'm not a huge fan of tasting formaldehyde (I kid!). Regardless, I stand my ground for my right to drink Bud Light, demanding it for shared pitchers and community coolers. In fact, I haven't even tasted Miller Lite in about seven years, but more on that later.

Celebrity Backers: "H.O.V.A." vs. the Nicest Divorced Guy in America

From the real men of genius to the man-law round table, both BUD and SABMiller (LSE: SAB), the London-based parent company of the Miller Lite brand, are powerful forces in the advertising business, and celebrity endorsements continue to roll in. Rap artist Jay-Z emerged from retirement ready to pitch Budweiser Select (a low-carb, 99-calorie offering) while Burt Reynolds, Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, and others sit on Miller's aforementioned round table. While not lending an endorsement in a traditional sense, who can forget Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson frequently kicking back with ice-cold cans of Miller Lite on the now-defunct (in every-which-way) Newlyweds? The brand allegiance added to Lachey's corn-fed all-American appeal (and I say that honestly as a BUD fan).

Continue reading Bud Light vs. Miller Lite: Battle of the Brands

Bud Light vs. Miller Lite: Battle of the Brands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.