Kanye West Reportedly Collects $20M As Russian Ticket Buyers Seek Refunds

Kanye West reportedly collected about $20 million for two canceled Russian concerts without taking the stage, and he may keep the money.

The Moscow Times reports that Kommersant’s sources put the payout at roughly $20 million for the October 10 and 11 shows at St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena.

One source said the sum includes staff costs, while another said his contract does not require him to return the payment.

“This is not purely his fee; this money pays, for example, for his staff’s services,” one source told Kommersant in translated comments.

That arrangement fits the upfront payment terms detailed by AllHipHop in September, based on Daily Mail reporting about money guaranteed before his shows.

The report said his team secures half the fee in advance, with that payment protected even when the performance never happens.

It cited $7.5 million from the canceled Wireless Festival booking and $4 million each from canceled dates in France and Italy.

Kanye’s Russia saga stretches back to January 2022, when adviser Ameer Sudan discussed plans for Moscow performances and a possible meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Publicist Pierre Rougier disputed that account, telling Rolling Stone: “Entirely fabricated. Work of fiction or wishful thinking from these Russian people.”

Kanye then visited Moscow in June 2024 for designer Gosha Rubchinskiy’s birthday, bringing fresh talk of a possible concert at Luzhniki Stadium.

The stadium said it had no information about a planned performance, leaving those rumors without a confirmed show to back them.

On August 17 this year, Say Agency announced two October dates in St. Petersburg, and ticket buyers rushed to secure seats.

Prices ranged from 9,000 to 160,000 rubles, with the promoter claiming it sold more than 100,000 tickets over two days.

Gazprom Arena reversed course on August 24, saying it had not signed rental contracts and could not host either scheduled show.

The dispute unfolded amid opposition from Russian politicians over Kanye’s past praise of Hitler, antisemitic remarks and use of Nazi imagery.

Say Agency initially insisted preparations would continue, declaring: “We want to assure you that the concert has not been canceled.”

Access Opera confirmed the cancellations September 29, and Say Agency acknowledged the next day that the concerts could not proceed on those dates.

By October 8, Kommersant reported a preliminary fraud inquiry into the promoter and nine registered lawsuits tied to the failed concerts.

Say Agency chief Anna Subcheva denied breaking any laws, while ticket buyers pursued their money through claims against the agency and ticket operator Intickets.

Say Agency says ticket refunds will begin October 12, the day after Kanye’s second canceled performance was supposed to take place.