Robert Plant to Tour With Alison Krauss

Cayocosta

BBC News reported that Robert Plant will tour, but not with Led Zeppelin - instead, with country artist Alison Krauss beginning in the UK in May with US dates expected for the summer. Tickets for UK dates are already on sale.

Promoters Offer Whole Lotta Loot to Lure Led Zeppelin Back on Stage

From Times Online:

Led Zeppelin could earn well over £100 million if the hard-rock band went on tour next year in the wake of Monday’s triumphant reunion gig. The band are being pursued with offers from both Live Nation and AEG, the rival concert promoters, with each structuring bids in the form of a large upfront payment to lure the band to their venues.

One source said that “AEG put a bid in on the night” - although that could not be confirmed independently – but intense demand, as already seen for Monday’s gig, would probably make a Zeppelin reunion the most sought-after ticket in 2008. It is likely that the four-piece band would be able at least to match the estimated $212 million grossed by The Police for their reunion this year, according to figures compiled by Billboard, the industry magazine.

Typically, promoters and venue owners pay a high proportion of the box office gross to the artist. Industry insiders say that in the UK the proportion can be as high as 95 per cent. In America, the figure can reach as much 110 per cent – the proportion is higher than the box office gross because the venue owner will make money out of food and drink and at least some of the merchandising.

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Led Zeppelin Reunion: Band's Albums Sales up 500%

From NME:

Sales of Led Zeppelin’s back catalogue have increased by 500% since the band announced then played their reunion show at the O2 Arena, which took place on Monday.

Music retailer HMV also revealed that sales of ‘Mothership’, Led Zeppelin’s recent compilation album, rose by 50% overnight following the gig, and was the biggest selling album in HMV stores in the UK yesterday.

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Led Zeppelin Brokers ESPN, NFL Promotional Pacts

From Digital Music News:

Led Zeppelin is now in the midst of a major promotional deal involving both ESPN and the National Football League (NFL), according to information confirmed by Digital Music News. The short-term partnership started splashing this week, and continues until mid-month. Sports fans have already seen Zeppelin songs and video footage threaded throughout various programming from both groups, including live, highlight, and preview segments.

According to Mike Engstrom, vice president of Marketing at Rhino Entertainment, part of the Warner Music Group, the "unprecedented deal" taps into the energy of a simply unrivaled group. "Zeppelin is the greatest rock band in the world, and they've always done things their own way," Engstrom said in an interview Wednesday. Now, that energy is being shared with a heavily male demographic that spans numerous age brackets.

The Zeppelin campaign is designed to raise awareness for the recently-released Mothership, a double-disc greatest hits package.

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Led Zeppelin Launch Official Website

From the site:

Led Zeppelin are pleased to announce the launch of their new Official Website :

http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

Ledzeppelin.com will be the ultimate online destination for all Led Zeppelin fans, old and new. As well as keeping the world up to date on Led Zeppelin’s activities, the site will give fans a chance to explore the band’s history and music within a goldmine of information, photos, official merchandise and audio-visual media.

One key area of the site is the “Timeline” – a searchable concert itinerary of all of Led Zeppelin’s previous tour dates. This is an area for fans to contribute to the site by submitting their own reviews of performances seen through the years as well as sharing info, pictures and so on with the entire Led Zeppelin community.

At the time of launch, there will be approximately 1,400 rare images (performances and memorabilia) in the Photo Gallery.

Among other features are interactive "flipbooks" of over a dozen rare tour programmes, where you can “virtually” browse through each page.

The Discography section also features a huge assortment of rare ads, 45 picture sleeves, promos, and related memorabilia.

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Led Zeppelin Postpone Reunion Show

Led Zeppelin have announced that they will postpone their reunion show due to an injury to guitarist Jimmy Page's finger.

The show, which was originally scheduled for November 26 at London's 02 Arena, has been rescheduled for December 10.

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