Summer Walker is refuting a Rolling Stone article that claimed she was in a “lopsided record deal” with her label and management company Love Renaissance (LVRN).
On Monday night (Nov. 8), the Over It singer took to her Instagram Stories to clear the air about the article. “I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online,” she wrote. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted to say focused on releasing my album. Now let me clear the air. What that article said is not my current record deal. Over the years, my deal has changed many times. I’ve always had my own representation and full support from LVRN.”
She added, “Thank you to my fans for always having my back and for all of the love ya’ll keep showing my new album. Appreciate y’all!!”
Earlier this week, Rolling Stone released details of a record deal that Summer signed back in 2017, in which she was offered an advance payment of only $85,000 and a 15% royalty rate on her music, which is low compared to the current standard of the industry. The article also said the “Ex For A Reason” singer gave up the rights to her masters. Additionally, Summer also gave up a large amount of her non-musical earnings, including the money she would make from acting gigs.
Multiple managers gave their opinion on her record deal, including Jordan Bromley, group leader and partner at the firm Manatt, Phelps & Philips. “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,” he said.
Last Friday (Nov. 5), Summer released her highly anticipated sophomore album Still Over It. The LP is projected to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has become the biggest debut ever by a female artist on Apple Music.
Check out Summer’s post below.
Instagram @summerwalker