Leaked Summer Walker recording contract reveals agreement details: report
Contract leak comes as Summer Walker releases sophomore album "Still Over It"
A draft of a 2017 music contract signed by Summer Walker was leaked on Wednesday. The stipulations of the contract are being criticized by some to be “brutal” for the young singer.
Walker signed the agreement with Love Renaissance (LVRN) as well as Interscope Records, as reported by Rolling Stone. The November 2017 document states that the “CPR” singer had to give up rights to her Master recordings and was given a 15% royalty rate on her music, lower than industry standards.
She also received ab advance of $85,000, which was down from the price of $115,000 in a previous draft.
In addition, the draft of the contract also indicates that Walker would give up a sizeable amount of her non-musical earnings as well, including money earned from acting gigs, Rolling Stone reports. What’s more is that LVRN serves a dual role as both Walker’s label and management, despite the fact that may serve as a conflict of interest for the artists.
Numerous music managers commented on the details of Walker’s contract, calling the details “brutal,” according to Rolling Stone. One such person, Jordan Bromley, partner and entertainment group leader at the firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, stated, “If you compare [the music] industry to other industries with creative products, you’ll notice that this is the industry where creators get paid the least.”
The contract did state that Walker’s advance rate would go up with each album. She released her sophomore album, Still Over It, on Friday. The album features guest appearances from artists like Cardi B, Pharell Williams, Lil Durk, Omarion and Ari Lennox.
A majority of the album features production from London on da Track, Walker’s ex-boyfriend and father of her first and only child, as reported by Revolt. Walker broke things off with the producer, real name London Holmes, after two years together, preceded by an Instagram rant about Holmes, drama with his children’s mothers and other issues. Much of Still Over It was recorded in the aftermath of their breakup.
Shortly after the release of Still Over It, the Billboard Music Award winner spoke up, telling fans that they should learn from her mistakes.
“Take this opportunity to learn from my mistakes,” Walker said. “You don’t have to guess if something is love. Love is shown through actions. Stop making excuses for people who don’t show up for you. Don’t ignore the red flags. And don’t think you have to stay somewhere ‘cause you can’t find better — you can and you will. Don’t settle for less — you don’t deserve it and neither does your family.”
Holmes commented about the album in his Instagram stories after fans bombarded him with implications that some of the lyrics from Still Over It were attributed to him.
“Lol just woke up. What happened?” Holmes quipped. “Oh sh-t. Album’s out. I’m just glad to be an inspiration. Keep streaming!!”
