The artist, now known as Ye, testified that he knowingly removed a sample from the Grammy-winning song after a sold-out listening event because he lacked clearance Kanye West and his companies must pay $438,558 in damages after a jury found he infringed on the copyright of an unreleased demo track by sampling it in an early version of his Grammy-winning song “Hurricane,” which was played for 40,000 fans at a sold-out Donda listening concert five years ago. The plaintiffs had asked for $564,046 in damages but still cheered the verdict in a courtroom hallway, calling it a victory for working artists. Lawyers for the plaintiff had argued West, now known as Ye, raked in $5.6 million from ticket sales to his July 22, 2021, listening party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta , merchandise sold at the event, and a deal with Apple Music to stream the show.…