The Weeknd paid more for his gig than Beyoncé for Coachella 2018
The Weeknd reportedly raked in more than $8 million to headline 2018's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, more than Beyoncé, who earned $3-4 million for her two-hour set the same year, according to TooFab.
Abel Mokkonen Tesfaye aka Weeknd started off his career with a small-scale performance on Coachella way back in 2012 before returning to headline the event six years later. The news that he was paid more than Beyoncé, is not likely to sit well with her fans, who were earlier furious that Ariane Grande was paid double than Beyonce to perform at the California Festival for two consecutive weekends this year.
While Coachella organizers Goldenvoice do not divulge remuneration details, the apparent news was enough to rile up Beyonce's fans. 'The Drunk In Love' singer became the first black woman to headline Coachella in 2018. The 37-year old has also written, directed and produced 'Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,' for Netflix, which is a part docu-part concert film along with behind-the scenes of her performance last year.
Billboard claims that the singer was paid much more and would have most likely been paid by Netflix for her documentary as well.
According to DailyMail, Beyoncé's fans were outraged when they heard that Grande was paid more, with some even terming it 'white privilege.' According to Blast, Grande was paid $8 million for the high-profile gig, while Beyoncé' only got $4 million for her captivating performance last year. According to sources, while the numbers were accurate, it was told to them that the contracts for both singers were structured the same way; $4 million for the first weekend and another $4 million for the second.
Variety reported that Grande's jaw-dropping fee wasn't just due to her popularity, but also as a thank-you gesture for her last minute sign up after Kanye West dropped out over staging issues.
The venting from the fans though had already started who took to social media to express their anger. Frederick Joseph, the founder of We Have Stories retweeted an article about the alleged pay inconsistency. In his commentary, he said, "Beyoncé was paid $4 million to Ariana Grande’s $8 million. When I tell you white privilege knows no bounds."
A 2017 article in the New Yorker featuring Goldenvoice CEO, Paul Tollet, also one of the co-founders of Coachella, revealed that headliner acts earn close to $3-5 million.
In all, Coachella is set to have raked in the moolah quite handsomely. While the 2018 figures weren't revealed, the event is said to have made close to $114 million from ticket sales, excluding the money it makes from food and beverage, sponsorships, licensing and advertisements.