The collaborative album Vultures by Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign was not released in conjunction with a record label; consequently, the artists earned significantly more money than usual. Additionally, Billboard recently published a report detailing their projected profits from this method of distribution, in which they collaborated solely with distributor Label Engine to distribute the track commercially. Following its début at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it is reasonable to infer that they made a substantial amount of money without having to share this with a record label. The outlet estimates that they earned approximately $986,000 from the first installment of this alleged series.
In addition, this prompted them to recall Ye’s prior 2020 remarks regarding record labels’ contracts. He advocated that artists be granted complete proprietorship of their copyright, which they may license to record labels and publishers for a limited time, and a minimum of 80% of the revenues generated from the sale of their music.
According to Label Engine, the distributor of Vultures, clients receive 82.5% of revenue. Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign have ample leverage to increase this percentage in their favor. Nevertheless, the publication believes that this figure increases (assuming 5% of revenues were distributed to the distributor) when global broadcasts and publishing are considered.
2019. Kanye West will perform at Coachella.
Undoubtedly, the success of streaming services and a few additional sales will provide a modest boost to these figures. This is in stark contrast to Kanye West’s previous contractual agreements, including his 14% royalties on The College Dropout. Under previous agreements, he would have been required to achieve this level of commercial success seven times over in order to earn the same amount of profit as Vultures. Certainly, this is additionally a feat befitting a Chicago rapper of the rapper’s stature, in addition to the triumphs of Ty Dolla and their featured guests. Therefore, this can be considered technically independent; however, Ye is not an indie darling in the eyes of the industry.
Additionally, we must account for the financial investment in the marketing, budgetary, and promotional advantages that label partnerships have historically provided. This additional impetus that the Yeezy creative’s albums had to become mainstream cultural benchmarks is no longer present due to his antisemitic behavior. In addition to this, clothing sales have generated a substantial amount of revenue for Vultures, whether favorable or unfavorable. Return to HNHH for additional news and the most recent developments concerning Kanye West, Ty Dolla Sign, and Vultures.