Robbie Williams' brinksmanship has paid off. His new
album, 'Escapology', has been the subject of a fierce bidding war,
with Robbie making huge demands of any company that wanted to
distribute it. He threatened that if his demands weren't met he'd go
it alone with his own production, marketing and retail team. But EMI
have agreed to his terms, and signed him to the second largest deal
in music history - for a staggering £80 million! Only Michael Jackson
has been signed for more.

According to the Sun, the deal commits EMI to making Robbie a huge
megastar in the US and gives him access to his back catalogue. In
return they get a much larger than normal share of his touring
profits and merchandising rights, and four albums off the Robster.

The question is - is the new album any good? If it flops there'll be
egg on everyone's faces. And can Robbie really crack America, or is
he a Cliff for the new millennium? Time will tell.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp