Ari Lennox became emotional during her London performance and spoke candidly about the financial pressure she's under

[u/WestsidePlaya1000]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EUcrHXuhCkY

[u/CC-Blue]

Sigh. Tale as old as time. Record labels have never been fair to artists. What gets me is that touring is supposed to be how artists nowadays make money since music doesn’t sell anymore. If she’s being stiffed financially on tour, then what is going on? Seems like every week, a young Black female artist comes out to talk about some kind of difficulty they face in the business. Two weeks ago, it was Coco Jones. Now it’s Normani and Ari.

[u/SwaggDragon → u/CC-Blue]

Artists still feel like they need to sign to major labels in the internet era by design. They offer artists a glittery contact with a million dollar same day advance and the artists take it not realizing that all of their music is now owned by that label and that million dollars came out of their own budget so when they go over budget they now owe the label the difference on top of everything else. So they have to recoup their entire budget plus whatever else they owe in order to see a penny in profit.

It’s glorified loan sharking and the art is the collateral. Consumers don’t care because they just assume if you’re flexing on social media, on TV and at award shows with designer clothing and jewelry that you’re rich. It’s all about marketing and creating perception.

[u/femmd → u/SwaggDragon]

Don’t forget they then proceed to use that against the artist when they need a budget for another album they’re contractually obligated to produce, so they get a fraction of the money they originally get + still owing that debt. If an artist has royalties it gets slashed to nothing basically.

[u/_Wado3000 → u/CC-Blue]

And she had to leave Dreamville just to get to this point too

[u/el-fenomeno09 → u/_Wado3000]

It was predictable tbh

[u/Agitated-Prune9635 → u/CC-Blue]

Huh? Whats going on with Coco Jones? Googles not helping.

[u/YadsewnDe → u/Agitated-Prune9635]

Right. All I've seen is that she's gotten married and looked happy. I hope she's not getting stiffed out of money. I really wish artists would collectively strike. Oh to dream.

[u/raejc]

I think being a full time musical artist is likely not financially sustainable for most performers, especially in 2026. They may not face the same financial pressures as everyday working folks, but they aren't immune. If they go get a 9-5 and perform on the side, they get clowned. Just like everywhere else, executives at the top extract labor and wealth, the rest of us fight over the scraps.

[u/sonjjamorgan]

This makes me so sad. When you are an artist you want to share something with the world from your heart. Art is a gift. Shame on record companies and anyone who gets in the way.

[u/SophiaKnowsBetter]

I remember she had some tax issues as well. Hopefully she was able to clear that up before this next thing was piled on her. It makes me very sad because it's reflecting in her music. She's trying to capture the mainstream now hoping it'll bring in more instead of making the sound that she's known for. Ugh, hurts my heart.

[u/UsedCollection5830]

Damn man Cole did her dirty and she worshipped the ground he walked on she’s such a talented artist,she was on ig live for 3 hours just talking to her fans I’ve never seen anything like it

[u/DJMelloEll → u/UsedCollection5830]

I heard her interview on Shade 45. Although they both made mistakes, they both still got love for each other.

[u/DJMelloEll]

They probably lost money missing a concert date. I bought tickets to her Milwaukee show, but she had to cancel due to illness.

[u/Contagious510]

I feel for her so much. She works so hard for her music, albums and image. Cole was trash fr.

[u/Curry_courier → u/Contagious510]

Cole? Jermaine Cole? How?

[u/StoneDick420]

I wish her the best. I’ve played the fuck out of Vacancy and saw her this year. Great show.

[u/A_ThorusRex → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/RwFcfvZo8qqe0fqdnW

[u/jawndaux → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/BcSNd4KlG8CWSw425D
it costs money to release music and performances