In the summer of 2003, Jay-Z spent much of his time on the road, playing 33 dates with 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott on the Rock the Mic tour. His estimated take-home pay per show: $100,000.
Ten years later, things are a little different for the Brooklyn-born rapper. In the intervening time, Jay-Z sold his Rocawear clothing line for $204 million, inked a $150 million multiple rights deal with Live Nation and amassed a fortune of $475 million. He also married some lady named Beyoncé. And this summer, he’ll join Justin Timberlake for the Legends of Summer tour—for quite a bit more money than he was making last time around.
According to one industry source who asked to remain anonymous, the duo should gross $6 million per night playing huge stadiums like Soldier Field in Chicago and the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Timberlake will get a $1 million guarantee per show, with Jay-Z and promoter splitting the rest after expenses. That’ll leave him with at least $1.5 million, if not more—perhaps as much as twice Timberlake’s take.
Timberlake hasn’t been on the road in years, which might explain his eagerness to accept a less-than-even split for a co-headlining tour. Along with Live Nation, Jay-Z also appears to be taking on more downside risk, which he can afford more easily than the former NSYNC star.
In addition, Timberlake will certainly use this massive pulpit to promote new album The 20/20 Experience, which debuted earlier this month with a whopping first-week sales of 968,000 units. That’s far better than his 2006 smashFutureSex/LoveSounds, which opened at 684,000. It’s also the third-best sales week by a male artist in the SoundScan era, trailing only albums by Usherand Garth Brooks.
Legends of Summer should also provide a launching pad for Timberlake’s solo tour; his manager told Billboard that a North American excursion is likely this fall.
Jay-Z’s cross-promotional instincts are not to be underestimated, however. He’s got plenty of non-musical items to hawk (D’Ussé cognac and Armand de Brignac champagne at the concession stands, perhaps?) And rumors have been swirling that he’s working on a new album, too.
Either way, the new tour could mean that Jay-Z will earn ten times more this summer than he did in 2003. And his household income should get an even bigger boost: Beyoncé is set to launch her Mrs. Carter World tour, and will undoubtedly gross seven figures per night.
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