MANILA, Philippines - As music fans get giddy from the forthcoming My Chemical Romance concert on Jan. 25 at the Fort Bonifacio Open Field in Taguig, negotiations are on for the arrival of two more major foreign artists who are expected to perform one after the other in the next two months.

Ne-Yo, the 25-year-old pop/R&B star from the United States, is performing on Feb. 29 at the Araneta Coliseum, to be followed by the Grammy-winning LA pop-rock band, Maroon 5, on March 5 also at the Big Dome.

Best known as the co-writer of Beyonce?s ?Irreplaceable,? Ne-Yo (real name: Shaffer Chimere Smith) shot to fame when his debut album, ?In My Own Words? (Def Jam Recordings) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and went platinum shortly.

He?s a very prolific songwriter. Aside from helping out Beyonce, Ne-Yo has likewise written songs for Rihanna and for the new recordings of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Enrique Iglesias. The Black Eyed Peas? will.i.am has reportedly called him up to work on Michael Jackson?s comeback album.

Maroon 5 broke into the scene in 2002, when its debut album, ?Songs About Jane? (Sony BMG), went triple-platinum. The band has won two Grammy Awards.

Several more artists, including R&B superstar Usher and previous visitors Julia Fordham and Kenny Loggins, are said to be on this year?s concert calendar.

Madonna in Manila

But the biggest spectacle, if negotiations are successful, would be Madonna in Manila.

Formerly identified with Warner Music, Madonna has reportedly signed an ?innovative $120 million deal? with Live Nation, an events company which owns hundreds of venues in the US and Europe. Under the deal, Madonna would receive $50 million for performances; 90 percent of ticket sales; some $50 to $60 million for three new albums; and a $17.5 million advance.

What these staggering numbers signify is that the concert scene is heating up and has become much more viable for popular music acts.

This is supported by the fact that US album sales has been down by 25 percent since 2000.

In the Philippines, this is probably the best time for big foreign acts to come.

Glenn Llamas, a local concert promoter, says that aside from the resurgent high value of the peso, the country has a population of music fans who ?have become more demanding of the quality of concert acts they want to see.?

Some 17 foreign acts performed here last year, most of them in major venues.