Miscellany

WB and Fox Settle Watchmen Dispute. Variety reports, WB, Fox make deal for ‘Watchmen’: “Warner Bros. gets the right to open its superhero pic on March 6 as planned, and Fox’s logo will not be on the film, sources said. Fox, on the other hand, will emerge with an upfront cash payment that sources pegged between $5 million and $10 million, covering reimbursement of $1.4 million the studio invested in development fees, and also millions of dollars in legal fees incurred during the case. More importantly, Fox will get a gross participation in ‘Watchmen’ that scales between 5% and 8.5%, depending on the film’s worldwide revenues. Fox also participates as a gross player in any sequels and spinoffs, sources said.”
Can the music industry recover? Stephen Masur has some suggestions for the music industry on how to make money in today’s world. Good Music, Conveniently Delivered; The Value Prop Still Ain’t There: “Even for lawyers the deals are too complicated and full of cheap tricks. We might be stuck with that for the older artists, but let’s throw it all away for the kids. Ian MacKaye had it right 20 years ago. Pay the artist a straight percentage rate across everything. It’s easy to understand, easy to account, easy to collect. Stop hiding things from artists. Stop lying to your own team. Instead, become their trusted partners in business.”
Stadium Naming Trends
In The New York Times, William Rhoden notes that online educator The University of Phoenix– which bought the naming rights for the Arizona Cardinals’ new stadium for $154 million over 20 years– doesn’t have a sports program of its own, or a campus. Which could be confusing. Sports of The Times – No Football Team, but What a Stadium!: “Exactly where is the University of Phoenix? This is what puzzled me two and a half years ago when I stepped inside the fabulous University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Was the university a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics? Did it play in Division I, II or III?”
Los Angeles Times, Anaheim ends legal battle over renaming of Angels: “The city had sued after owner Arte Moreno changed that name to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim but lost rounds in Superior Court and state appellate court. The fight cost the city $4 million.”