Industry eyebrows were raised when Live Nation signed artists such as Jay-Z, Madonna, and U2 to 360 deals that guaranteed artist exclusivity for piles of cash, some delivered via stock options. The big question at the time was whether the huge outlay of money could be recouped via albums, concerts, and merchandising. Predictions of success versus failure became a little harder to make, however, with the economic downturn and harder still when Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster. Though the jury is still out with regard to U2's deal (especially since they have yet to tour under the contract), the newly formed Live Nation Entertainment took a hit when Bono and the boys offloaded stock that Live Nation backed up to a value of twenty-five million dollars. In the current market, the shares are worth only $6.1 million, leaving Live Nation Entertainment holding the bag for the other nineteen. Company representatives are playing down the significance of U2's sell-off, but apparently the band was convinced that holding on to the shares would ultimately be a losing proposition. [Gigwise]