Kanye West has made more than $25 million this year from concerts that never happened

Despite his canceled concerts in St. Petersburg, Kanye West has managed to avoid taking a financial hit.

According to the Daily Mail, the rapper, now known as Ye, only agrees to perform under contracts that require an upfront payment. He reportedly demands half of his fee in advance, regardless of whether the show ultimately takes place. As a result, he has collected $10 million for the canceled shows in Russia.

Millions for canceled shows

Among the scrapped performances was London’s Wireless Festival, where Ye was scheduled to headline last month. According to insiders, he was still paid $7.5 million for the appearance.

He also reportedly earned:

• $4 million for a canceled concert in France;
• $4 million for an Italian event that fell through this summer.

Altogether, Ye has made $25.5 million this year alone without stepping onstage.

Ye’s concerts in St. Petersburg were scheduled for October 10 and 11.

“Kanye’s management is literally killing his career. Every canceled show means another market where promoters will never want to work with him again. It looks like the Russian concert organizers simply couldn’t handle the job. Everyone was blinded by the money, and in the end it all blew up in their faces.

“If you want to put on a concert in Russia, you need to sit down at the negotiating table with Putin’s aides and provide ironclad guarantees that nothing will happen that could cause embarrassment,” a source said.

Had the performances gone ahead, Ye would have become the first major Western artist to perform in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.