Drake’s Next Move Could Make His Last $400 Million Deal Look Small

Drake may be preparing to make music industry history with a record deal so enormous that his next album could be the least interesting part of the conversation. And they say nobody is making money in music anymore.

And then there is the source material.

DJ Akademiks has been talking about the Toronto superstar’s next business move. We’ll take it with a grain of salt for now.  The suggestion is that Drake could be approaching the biggest recording agreement in music history. Yes, bigger than the reported $400 million arrangement he previously secured with Universal Music Group.

Now, before anybody starts counting somebody else’s millions, we need to establish this is speculation. And we also do not yet know what company might be preparing to write this extraordinary check. In the past, it has been sad that Universal might be willing to do it despite their issues.

But Akademiks has historically had access to Drake’s business and therefore we have to take this serious.

During an appearance on “One Night with Steiny,” Akademiks said Drake has satisfied his previous contractual obligations and could be positioning himself for another monumental payday.

We all know Drake’s relationship with Universal Music Group has been complicated by his legal dispute involving Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” That controversy raised questions about the relationship between one of the industry’s most commercially successful rappers and the corporation responsible for distributing his music. We also know money is all folks care about and nothing is personal.

So, would Drake return to Universal for another colossal arrangement? Would a competing company be able to pony official money to woo him? Or could he negotiate something that gives him substantially more ownership and control?

Money, ownership and control seem the same but very different.

A deal exceeding $400 million would certainly command attention, but the structure matters. An advance against future royalties is not the same as receiving hundreds of millions outright. Catalog rights, distribution arrangements and recording commitments could all influence the final valuation.

Never forget Drake is one of the few rappers whose commercial reach makes this even a rumor.

Stay tuned.

Neither Drake nor UMG has publicly confirmed the rumored contract so we’ll be watching til something materializes.

He’s probably looking at these reports like: