Photo: Getty Images
Coachella organizers allegedly tried to stiff The Weeknd after he stepped in to replace Kanye West as Sunday headliner at the festival later this month.
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.
Coachella organizers announced early yesterday that The Weeknd and house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia will be taking over the rapper’s slots on Sunday, April 17, and Sunday, April 24. But a music source told us the deal wasn’t yet done for the “Blinding Lights” singer.
That source tells us, “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 source continued, “Even after Coachella announced the new lineup on Wednesday, a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd, who threatened to pull out at an hour’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye.
“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.”
A second insider tells us the billionaire AEG mogul wasn’t personally handling the negotiations, it was handled by an employee.
Source: NY Post.
Photo Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for U.N. World Food Programme.