Madonna world tour breaks her own record

U.S. pop singer Madonna performs during her Sticky and Sweet Tour concert in Bucharest August 26, 2009. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - Madonna smashed her own record for top-grossing tour by a solo artist, but the "Material Girl" had to play more shows in bigger venues, according to data released by concert promoter Live Nation Inc on Wednesday.

It broke the record set in 2006 by her previous outing, the "Confessions" tour, which grossed $194 million from 1.2 million fans at 60 shows. A Live Nation spokesman said the previous trek featured many arena stops, while the latest one was centered on bigger stadiums.

On September 28, Madonna will release "Celebration" CD and video compilations, which will draw the curtain on her 27-year relationship with Warner Music Group Corp. In 2007, she signed a pioneering, 10-year, $120 million "360" deal with Live Nation covering recording, merchandising and touring.

The top-grossing tour overall is the Rolling Stones' $558 million "Bigger Bang" trek of 2005-2007, which drew 4.7 million people to 144 shows.