Barbra Streisand in contract negotiations - Columbia could lose one of the 'Five B's'

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What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings The Lyrics of Alan And Marilyn Bergman (Deluxe Edition) (2 CDs)At Columbia Records, there are the "five B's", Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. They have been with the label for almost all of their careers, a combined total of well over 200 years.

The end may be near, though, for the power quintet as Streisand's contract will be up after the release of What Matters Most on August 23. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the discussion within the company is whether the large sum that is being sought by Barbra's manager (estimated at $20 million for one album and three reissues) is worth the prestige of her continuing with the label. As one executive told the paper "The biggest sellers of all time, your Celine Dions and Mariah Careys, aren't worth that kind of money. Downloads and physical sales are minute, plus there's no remnant of anything she knew or cared about left at Columbia."

Streisand is a perennial seller with her last album, Love is the Answer, moving 511,000 copies even without the help of a tour or much promotion, but it is reported that it costs about $1 million of studio time to record one of her sets and the profit margins in the digital age could be slim or non-existent.

On the sidelines is Universal Music Group who would love to snatch her away from Columbia, especially as she most likely would come with her catalog.

For an in-depth look at the situation, see the story at the Hollywood Reporter.


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