What you need to know
- Kanye West is ditching both Apple Music and Spotify.
- The artist confirmed that 'Donda 2' will only be available on his own Stem Player platform.
- The Stem Player is a remix device sold by West that costs $200.
Kanye West has confirmed that his new album won't be available to stream on either Spotify or Apple Music in a shocking new announcement.
As reported by our friends at TechRadar, West took to Instagram overnight to state that 'Donda 2' will not be available on any streaming platforms, stating in a post:
Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player. Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube. Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It's time to free music from this oppressive system. It's time to take control and build our own. Go to stemplayer.com now to order.
Kanye's Stem Player is a $200 physical device that lets users remix songs using their 'stems' such as drums, bass, vocals, and more. As the report notes, fans are not happy about the announcement, after it became clear that buying West's $200 device would be the only way to listen to 'Donda 2'.
"This is the worst thing Kanye has done" one comment read, another blasted him saying "It's time to free music, so buy this product or else you can't listen to my album."
As per his announcement West's main gripe seems to be money, but the news is surprising given that Apple Music and West partnered extensively in the run-up to the launch of the first 'Donda' album last year, including a series of record-breaking live streams.
West made a similar decision in 2016, stating the album would only be available to stream on Tidal. It came to Apple Music and Spotify two months later.
