More than 10 producers say they haven't been paid for Kanye West's Vultures 1 & 2

It’s extremely hard to make money in the music industry when things are running the right way, much less when important paperwork is being consciously withheld. That’s the situation for more than 10 producers who worked on Ty Dolla $ign’s and Ye’s (f.k.a. Kanye West) Vultures 1 and Vultures 2, according to a new report from Billboard. Per the outlet, multiple producers who worked on both 2024 releases do not have signed agreements in place with the artist, preventing them from collecting fees, producer royalties, and publishing income for their work. Since its release, Vultures 1 has sold over 817,000 units and received over 1 billion streams, which is quite a bit of money left on the table. 

Now, the producers’ respective attorneys are banding together to get their clients their due. “We have clients who’ve produced music on the Vultures album(s) and have still not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released,” Bob Celestin, one of the attorneys wrote. “Presently, we have no idea when payment will be made, which is so unfortunate and unfair. You would think Ye would be more sensitive to this issue because he is a producer.” 

Other attorneys explained that the ever-changing nature of the industry and the fact that artists have to personally sign off on all producer agreements often results in delayed payments. Still, five of the attorneys working on the issue said that getting the agreements from Ye has been “even more challenging than usual.” 

“The industry’s ‘back of house’ infrastructure really isn’t designed to handle dozens of producers and other collaborators on a single project,” Tim Kappel, an entertainment attorney, explained. “There are inevitably going to be delays even when everyone is operating in good faith. Throw in a few bad actors here and there, and it’s easy to understand why producers are feeling aggrieved.” 

Some of the producers were reportedly offered buyouts, which means they would have received a flat fee with no continued royalties for the album. Apparently, even Atlantic Records is having a hard time receiving their due. At this point, “we have no recourse besides to try to sue [Ye]… But that’s costly,” one attorney working on the project said. As another pointed out, “legal claims against Ye don’t really seem to go anywhere.” 

Despite all this, sources close to the artist told the outlet he was potentially planning to release a third uncleared album this year. “It’s a mess,” in the words of a different lawyer. “I just keep going back to that word.”