Diva Whitney Houston has signed a contract in excess of $100 million with Arista Records in what is believed to be the biggest recording deal in history. Under the terms of the contract, which outpaces Mariah Carey’s reported $80 million deal with Virgin Records, Whitney will deliver at least six new albums and two greatest hits discs.
“I am so excited with this new deal and I’m looking forward to going into the studio soon to start work on my next album,” says the 37-year-old chanteuse. “Arista Records has been my home since the beginning of my career. I am happy to be continuing the relationship and I look forward to working with… the new Arista family.”
There had been talk that The Bodyguard star would jump ship for rival J Records, the fledgling company set up by former Arista head, the legendary Clive Davis. However, it now seems those rumours were unfounded.
“We didn’t have to fight for it,” says Arista president Antonio “L.A.” Reid. “Whitney was a big supporter of the company from the get-go – there was never any conversation about her leaving.”
Whitney is Arista’s best-selling artist, having sold more than 140 million albums over her 18-year career. The singer released a top-selling greatest hits collection in April 2000. However, her last album of original material, 1998’s My Love Is Your Love, was considered a disappointment having shifted upwards of just one million copies.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
