When you reach the level headliner, you start getting paid the big bucks. Festivals like EDC and Ultra reach the hundreds thousands for headlining acts, but nothing approaches the level Coachella.
The Goldenvoice festival regularly brings in the biggest names in music for two weekends every year, and brings a lot them. From BLACKPINK to Billie Eilish to Childish Gambino to Bassnectar to DJ Snake to Ariana Grande, this year’s Coachella must have had quite the price tag.
That number is actually probably even more than you think because how much the festival reportedly paid Grande to headline. According to NME, Grande was paid the mind boggling fee $8 million to perform in her headlining slot. (We assume this is for both weekends, though NME doesn’t specify.)
Grande, also the festival’s youngest-ever headliner, was added to the lineup just months before the event as Kanye dropped out. In 2017, The New Yorker reported that Kendrick Lamar, Radiohead, and Lady Gaga each received between three and four million for headlining, but Grande has received significantly more at a reported $8 million.
Coachella returns to Indio again on Friday for another weekend fun in the sun.
NME | Photo courtesy Coachella