Shubham Banerjee on April 6, 2022
The Weeknd was announced as Kanye West’s replacement to headline to the Coachella music festival. Fans were certainly excited with the new line-up and eager to watch him perform live. However, it seems the drama at Coachella continues to play out.
It appears that the Coachella event organizers tried to stiff the “Blinding Lights” hitmaker after he stepped in to replace Kanye. Sources told PageSix, that the singer threatened to pull out if he wasn’t paid the same money as West, who was set to rake in $8 million plus a $500,000 production fee.
The event organizers announced early on Wednesday that The Weeknd and house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia will be taking over Kanye’s slots on Sunday, April 17, and Sunday, April 24. However, an insider shared with the outlet that he deal wasn’t yet done for the “Save Your Tears” singer.
“The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot. But Phil Anschutz [who owns the Coachella Festival through AEG Live] wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.”
The demand led to a halt in negotiations this week between The Weeknd’s management and Anschutz’s company Goldenvoice, which produces the festival. The source also said, “Even after Coachella announced the new lineup on Wednesday, a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd.”
“Finally, on Wednesday — faced with the prospect of a second headline act pulling out of Coachella at the last minute — Anschutz’s company caved and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same money.”
While reps for Anschutz didn’t comment, a second insider shared that the billionaire AEG mogul wasn’t personally involved in the negotiation process and that it was handled by an employee. Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s camp has yet to comment on the recent developments.
What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments.
April 6, 2022 11:30 pm
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