Kanye West’s new album Donda 2 is releasing next week, but it won’t be available on popular streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. Rather, the rapper confirmed the album will only be available on the Stem Player.
Sharing the announcement with his 14.2 million Instagram followers, Kanye said the decision came from a frustration over how little of the profits artists make, which he said is largely due to the power of streaming services.
“Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes,” Kanye explained in the post. "It's time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s time take control and build your own.”
Kanye – who legally changed his name to “Ye” recently – then directed his followers to head to stemplayer.com to order their own device.
The Stem Player is a collaboration between Kanye’s Yeezy Tech brand and Kano, an electronics start-up based in the United Kingdom. The device is currently being sold for $200 USD on its website and promises users the opportunity to mix and listen to their own tracks on-the-go.
Similar to an MP3 player, the Stem Player allows users to upload songs on the device via its online platform. It lets users split songs into “stems” by control vocals, drums, and bass. It’s also possible to change the tempo, isolate track parts, add special effects.
In his post, Kanye added that there are 67,000 units of the Stem Player available to be shipped out, and that they’re producing 3,000 per day to keep up with the expected demand.
As per The New York Post, Kanye’s revelation has sparked controversy amongst fans. Many are upset at the thought of purchasing a new device just to stream the highly anticipated album, with some saying they’ll boycott the album entirely.
Kanye actually released the Stem Player last year with the debut of his album Donda, a tribute to his mother’s name.
The move to forgo traditional streaming services may seem controversial, but Kanye has expressed his frustration with streaming platforms in the past. Earlier this month, the rapper said he turned down a $100 million partnership with Apple.
At the Hollywood premiere of Jeen Yuhs, the new three-part Netflix documentary about Kanye, the music producer revealed he was offered the twelve-figure deal if he agreed to put Donda on Apple music.
“Larry Jackson [Global Creative Director for Apple Inc.] offered me $100 million put Donda on Apple but I ain’t never got a meeting with Tim Cook,” Kanye said.
Sources: Instagram @kanyewest, Stem Player, The New York Post,