Rock band U2 is about to hit the road for a series of concerts starting June 30 in Barcelona Spain. This time out they have an interesting corporate sponsor – it’s not Apple or Palm (two device makers the group has more than a passing business connection with) but device maker Research in Motion, makers of the popular BlackBerry device. While news reports play this off as having to do with manager Paul McGuinness’s love for BlackBerry – I’m betting this is about diversification of sponsorship with a healthy dose of “show me the money”. Remember all those MP3 files you your kids downloaded for free? Corporate sponsorships and expensive tours are the new economic model.

U2 via eWeek

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