U2 still lovin' Universal, manager says

It’s only a matter of time before another superstar artist follows Madonna’s footsteps to a Live Nation deal, but it won’t be U2. At least, not anytime soon. In a story published earlier today, Fox News columnist Roger Friedman reported that the band was in talks with the concert industry’s biggest player and could walk away from their 28-year relationship with Universal (the band was first signed to Uni-owned Island Records in 1980; Interscope came into the picture with 2000′s All That You Can’t Leave Behind). But in a statement to EW.com, U2 manager Paul McGuinness says, “This is untrue. As I said in my MIDEM speech, U2 has an excellent relationship with Universal. We have recently re-licensed both masters and copyrights to them.” Which means Universal will be moving catalog, like the recently-remastered The Joshua Tree, for many years to come. But what of future studio projects? “The band re-signed last year,” a label insider says. “They have a good four albums left, so they’re not going anywhere.”