Long-time metal warriors Iron Maiden have signed an international (except in the United States) integrated recording contract with EMI, extending the two's twenty-eight year relationship.  The new contract hands over many new duties to EMI, including overseeing touring, merchandising and sponsorship. The band’s longtime manager Ron Smallwood says that aggregating interests under EMI’s umbrella makes sense because Iron Maiden is the type of act whose success relies mainly on word of mouth, touring, and marketing expertise. Iron Maiden’s last album, A Matter of Life and Death, opened at number one on Billboard’s European Top 100 in August 2006.

It’s good to see that Iron Maiden is still successfully rocking skulls, but it’s a bummer that EMI couldn’t strike a deal with Sanctuary (who handles Iron Maiden’s marketing in the United States) to add their expertise to raising the band’s profile in the United States. While Iron Maiden has definitely gone a little gray over the past thirty years, they can still shred and fence on a much higher level than many bands half their age. The only real question is why there shouldn't be an Iron Maiden resurgence in 2008?  [Billboard Biz]