Culture

Lyle Lovett Sells Millions, Earns Zeros

by Jarrett Martineau | July 10, 2008 at 03:28 pm

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No one seems to have made any money during the supposedly halcyon days of the Major Label Record Deal (ie. major label record debt). Whether you were a double diamond platinum selling artist or a solid gold country singer, making a dime was not part of the time. Perhaps it's time for dear ol' Lyle to think about an all-inclusive 360 deal with Live Nation? Everyone's doing it these days.

Lyle Lovett says he has "never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career, and hopes to rectify that situation when his contract expires.

The eclectic country singer has two more albums on his deal with Curb/Universal, his home since 1985, and figures the horizons are wide open.

"The possibilities are very exciting, I think," Lovett told Billboard.com. "I've never made a dime from a record sale in the history of my record deal. I've been very happy with my sales, and certainly my audience has been very supportive. I make a living going out and playing shows."

Lovett, 50, has sold 4.6 million albums in the United States since 1991, the year when SoundScan sales data were introduced.