The answer is the reason behind BBHMM

360 deal means the label get the revenue of everything you do and you get the leftovers the label doesn't need.

Katy has the advantage of learning about how the labels and the industry works. As an insider she knew how other artists are ripped off and ensured that she got good contracts.

Labels always try to impress youngsters with big checks to make them sign their rights away.

• Katy has the underlying rights of her songs. She owns the lyrics and melodies. The label rents the lyrics and melodies. She has her own company doing the publishing and outsourced it to Warner Chappell. If they want to use her words or melodies in a movie, on TV, in a commercial,... they ask Warner Chappell who forward the question to Katy's company and Katy gets a DM on her phone or someone of her team comes to her.
• CDT was an indie tour as in no tour promotor. She booked her own arenas and ran the risk of losing her money. The coins went straight in her own company. For PWT she used a tour promoter and was in a better position (What can you do for me? Why shouldn't I stay indie touring arenas around the world?) to negotiate a deal. LiveNation (they are like the Microsoft of the concert business) usually boast that they can offer you 3, 4 times the money you are making now. AEG Live outbidding that.

Rih's accountant stole so much money that the ATM told her that she is broke.

Neither is paying my bills so I don't know or care.

Rihanna is the 2nd best selling female of all time behind Madonna, thank you very much

Thank you for this

!!

That includes streams and singles sales.

Also success isn't just sales, impact and touring and awards is what measures overall success.

Less risk taking, more child friendly.

Katy is very smart.

This too.

Rihanna doesn't write her music, so yeah.

Not sure, but in the end both of them will continue to earn ALOT for years to come. Poor their peers

Katy took more risks business-wise

songwriting.

Talent wins

Because before Katy they had to look all the way back to 1990 MC Hammer to find a #1 album (not counting LeToya's #1 album in 2006, who remembered that or knows her?). They couldn't capitalize on the 98-2003 Britney, Xtina, P!nk, Avril and Destiny's Child generation and couldn't get big coins from the intergeneration like Gwen, Black Eyed Peas, Kelly,...

Katy had the next-generation business plan misunderstood by the other labels and the label was desperate enough to sign for that. Hoping that Katy would evaporate the competition with something the other labels in Amurica maybe would understand in 3 or 5 years, put the label back to top tier (In 2007 EMI (Capitol + Virgin) was the weakest of Big Four) and make a lot of money for them. She can spill the tea on how 2 other major labels operate and outmanoeuvre the rest of the industry.

Katy was noticed fast. Madonna sensed the disturbance in the force, a song was put on MySpace, USG being the most offensive thing in years. The success and US controversy of IKAG made the alarm bells at the other labels go off, the rise of a new pop girl generation. Contingency plans were pulling out of the freezers, at Interscope they were looking for a girl they could mould into their flag ship. Lucky for them that they already have a pop girl with a single doing nothing for months, the war chest was opened and they shower her with money and promo to make that debut single happen.

Through the years Katy learned to speak the language of executives or politicians. They don't want to throw away the money already invested and had to raise the stakes to get the end result (Escalation of commitment). Luckily for the label, Katy is more efficient and can get more out of 1/2 or 1/4 of what Interscope was spending.

If you are looking for a label, which one would you choose? Polls on ATRL are favourable to Capitol, everyone has seen what they could do. The TD era is an once in 20 years occurrence executed with the precision and efficiency of a military machine. Needless to say what Interscope's flag ship is doing right now on iTunes, streaming and kworb.net. Katy's first 7 years delivered good receipts to put in the label's lobby. All the way up to 2015 PWT touring gross and the Forbes cover.

Halsey worships Katy and defends Katy on Twitter from the Tumblr crowds. When she had to choose a label, Astralwerks under Capitol probably made her dream of meeting Katy and endless possibilities.

When Niall Horan got off the plane and had to choose a label on the other side of the Atlantic. Capitol is where Mommy Kat is, without her blessing his career, life, existence,... wouldn't have happened. What's good for mom, is good for him.

The trust in the abilities of a label is like the trust in any other brand. A modern flag ship of this decade gives that confidence. That's why car brands spend money on Formula 1, rally,... a winner's car or at least a strong contender gives the average customer trust in the brand that they know what they are doing. Even when racing car tech will never trickle down in the family cars.

In 2012 (at the end of the TD era) Capitol Music Group was #5 in market share and in 2014 they rose to #2. The British and Australians signed with them: Sam Smith, 5 Seconds of Summer, Bastille,... 3 months after August 2013, even Beck signed to Capitol. The label swept all four major award categories at the Grammys through the works of Beck and Sam Smith.

The money spent on Katy was worth for bringing the label back to life. Otherwise they would be still clinging to dusty Beatles certifications. They got their part of the deal and Katy got her part of the deal.