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The Weeknd Issues Warning About Potential Coachella Withdrawal Due to Payment Dispute
The Weeknd insists on receiving identical compensation initially pledged to Kanye West.
Recently, Kanye West, also known as Ye, made an announcement stating his decision not to participate in the upcoming Coachella music festival set to take place later this month. As Ye was one of the festival’s main acts, the organizers found themselves in urgent need of securing another prominent artist to fill his slot. Earlier this week, they revealed that rapper The Weeknd would be stepping in to headline on April 17. However, this substitution has sparked some tension between the involved parties, potentially jeopardizing the agreement.
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Originally, Kanye West was set to perform at Coachella for a sum of $8 million, along with an additional $500,000 on top. As per a report from Page Six, the event organizers had proposed a significantly lower payment to The Weeknd, intending to keep the remaining amount.
According to a source cited by Page Six, “The Weeknd was brought in suddenly to fill Kanye’s premier slot. However, Phil Anschutz, who holds ownership of the Coachella Festival through AEG Live, wished to retain Kanye’s funds and only offer The Weeknd a few million dollars. The festival would then retain the surplus.”
This discrepancy led to a disagreement with The Weeknd, who insisted on being compensated at the same level that Kanye would have received, or he would withdraw from the event.
UPDATE: The Weeknd demands equal payment as originally agreed for Kanye West’s headline role at Coachella (8.6M) & threatens to exit the concert if not met‼️? pic.twitter.com/YbrCWXtohW
— RapTV (@Rap) April 7, 2022
“Even following the announcement of the revised lineup by Coachella on Wednesday, no agreement had been reached with The Weeknd, who warned that he would withdraw with minimal notice if he was not offered a comparable deal to Kanye,” the source detailed.
“Ultimately, on Wednesday — faced with the possible scenario of losing a second headline act at Coachella at the eleventh hour — Anschutz’s company relented and accepted to remunerate The Weeknd the same amount.”
