Last March, U2 threw its hat into the Live Nation ring, handing over touring, merchandising, website and other rights to the promoter. Unlike several other artists who have signed all-encompassing deals with Live Nation, U2 will keep its recording and publishing pact with Universal Music. However, with the superstar group taking in close to $400 million on its last outing, touring alone should generate more than a billion dollars in grosses over the course of the contract, according to Billboard.

The agreement locks in an already longstanding relationship between the parties: Live Nation or its predecessors have produced and promoted every worldwide U2 tour since 1997, and a Live Nation subsidiary already manages the band's website.

"We've been dating for over 20 years now; it's about time we tied the knot," U2's Bono stated at the time of the deal's announcement.

The Grammy-winning rockers are currently working on the followup to their most recent studio album, 2004's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." The set, originally slated for a fall release, has been pushed back to next year.

U2 is one of five artists that Live Nation has signed in the last year to develop its one-stop shop for entertainers. Jay-Z and Madonna also received shares--about 775,000 for the rap mogul and around 1.17 million for the Material Girl--while deals for Shakira and Nickelback included no stock.

With the shifting landscape of the music business, Live Nation has implemented a business model that includes divisions for recorded music, merchandise, fan websites, broadcast/digital media rights, sponsorship and marketing. The company plans to further expand its influence by parting ways with the nation's biggest ticket seller, Ticketmaster (LiveDaily's parent company), at the end of this year and launching its own competing ticket service.