Kanye West reportedly received $20 million for canceled St. Petersburg concerts
According to Kommersant's sources, rapper Kanye West received about $20 million for two canceled concerts in St. Petersburg and is unlikely to return it. The organizing agency says it broke no laws.
Rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, was paid roughly $20 million for two concerts in St. Petersburg that were later canceled, according to the Russian business daily Kommersant, which cited people familiar with the matter.
One source said the sum is not West's net fee, as it also covers expenses such as staff pay. Another source suggested he would not hand the money back to the organizers because his contract does not oblige him to.
Organizers deny wrongdoing
Anna Subcheva, who heads Say Agency, the company behind the shows, told Kommersant that the agency had not violated a single law. She said that once the concerts were announced, the company, she personally and West faced a wave of negativity from competitors, which was also backed by media outlets. Asked whether the concerts could be rescheduled, Subcheva answered, "We'll see."
How events unfolded
West was due to play at Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg on October 10 and 11. After the announcement, lawmakers and pro-war activists voiced strong displeasure about the rapper's visit to Russia. Whether to go ahead or cancel was reportedly even discussed in the Kremlin.
A week ago, Say Agency announced the cancellation, and the Russian dates vanished from West's tour schedule. On the same day, Kommersant reported that St. Petersburg police had opened a review of the agency over suspected fraud. The materials gathered are to be passed to the Interior Ministry's central office in Moscow, which will decide whether there are grounds for a criminal case.
The review followed a complaint from a member of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, to whom ticket buyers had turned. The organizers said more than 100,000 tickets, priced from 9,000 to 160,000 rubles, were sold in the first two days of sales. After the cancellation, they promised refunds.
