Those were the news in 1992
For many of rock’s superstars, Christmas came early this year: Record companies committed hundreds of millions of dollars to long-term contracts for Madonna, Prince, and ZZ Top, while Elton John and Bernie Taupin raked in nearly $40 million between them in an eye-popping publishing deal. (Janet Jackson’s pact started the trend last year, with big contracts for brother Michael, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, and the Rolling Stones following on its heels.) But now record labels have to be anxious about what Santa may have in store for them: Taking a look back, 1992 was not a great year for the megastar signers of massive new contracts. In fact, with the exception of U2 and their 4 million-selling Achtung Baby, there wasn’t any superstar who sold like a superstar.
