Our sources are debatable at best on this one but TMZ seems to think that Kanye West turned down a huge offer to perform a Las Vegas residency.
According to the deal the our source claims to have obtained, West would have received $4.5 million to play a total of nine shows at the Axis in Planet Hollywood. The schedule would have come out to three shows a week for three weeks. It's sure not a bad deal, not only in terms of total revenue that the rapper himself would bring in per show compared to a typical tour, but also in terms of scheduling. West brought in about $1 million a show while on his Yeezus tour, according to Forbes, but that doesn't account for how much he had to pay per show to stage the huge event. In the case of a Vegas residency he wouldn't need to worry about the costs of the concert itself. And you know Planet Hollywood would have charged enough for tickets to cover its own investments.
To compare, Britney Spears is currently making about $475,000 a show and Jennifer Lopez was offered $350,000 a show if she considered sticking around Nevada for a while. Of course Celine Dion makes around $475,000 a show herself, and you might think that a more relevant performer at the moment should be able to make a considerable amount more than her for a short run (no offense Celine).
No reason is given as to why West turned the offer down but we have to assume its the stereotype that a Las Vegas residency represents the twilight of a performer's career. Although Elton John, Garth Brooks and of course Dion have made huge amounts of money while remaining relevant, there was still a questionable reaction when Spears announced that she'd be taking an extended gig.
