New York Post is reporting that the long-standing deal between Jive Records and BMG is in trouble. Zomba Group’s Jive Records — home to such hotshot young acts as the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and *NSYNC — is in preliminary talks with Warner/EMI to ink a contract once its distribution deal with BMG expires at the end of the year. Warner and EMI, which are expected to merge after they gain regulatory approval toward the end of the year, are trying to lure Clive Calder’s Jive into the fold with either a sweet distribution deal or an outright acquisition, sources told The Post. One industry insider said the new music powerhouse will offer Calder as much as $900 million for the independent label, which has been burning up the charts with teen pop sensations.
