Kanye West apparently tweeted screenshots of one of his contracts with Def Jam in 2012 this morning. While it may seem crazy and odd, this is the sort of data that doesn’t get leaked within the entertainment industry very often. I’m curious to see how the level of the details released shifts the balance of power to artists in the future since surely this contract would represent one of the higher levels of performer contract in the business at the moment.
A&R and business affairs executives are sure to hate this for the coming year(s). It would be nice if more artists shared these sorts of points in public to help out others without the level of legal representation that Kanye has.
I also wonder if/when these sorts of contracts will have non-disclosure clauses in them to help protect the labels? It may start today if artists aren’t careful.
— ye (@kanyewest) September 16, 2020