Kanye West received about $20 million in advance payments for two St Petersburg concerts that will not take place as scheduled, according to business daily Kommersant. It emerged as ticket holders struggle to claim their refunds.
The $20-million payment was not entirely Kanye West’s fee: it also covered expenses such as staff costs, one industry source told the paper. Another said the contract probably allowed him to retain the money. Those contractual terms have not been independently verified.
Say Agency, a Moscow-based concert organiser, claimed it sold more than 100,000 tickets in two days, with prices ranging from 9,000 roubles ($105) to 160,000 roubles ($1,760).
The Kommersant report does not establish how much of the payment was financed by ticket sales. The shows were initially scheduled for October 10 and 11 at Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg.
Read more: Tickets sold, venue disputed: Where was Kanye West supposed to perform?
Fans await refunds
Say Agency announced that refunds would begin on October 12th, with more details to follow. Its head, Anna Subcheva, denied breaking any laws and hinted that the shows might still be rescheduled.
According to Kommersant, nine related lawsuits had been filed in St Petersburg as of 7 October, citing the courts’ press service. One was later returned on jurisdictional grounds.
The newspaper also reported a preliminary police investigation into potential fraud. The report does not establish wrongdoing.
Read also: Kanye West’s Russia dates disappeared from his tour website
The financial dispute follows weeks of contradictory announcements. Gazprom Arena previously said it had no signed rental agreement, while the promoter maintained preparations were continuing.
The controversy also reached the Kremlin. RBC previously reported that the presidential administration commissioned a private poll about the proposed performance, with most respondents indifferent to whether it happened.
Meanwhile in Russia: The Kremlin asked Russians about Kanye West’s show. Most did not care
