The device has already brought in over $2M in sales since the announcement.
What would a Kanye West album rollout be without controversy?
Ye announced that his upcoming album ‘Donda 2’ will be released exclusively via the purchase of a Stem Player audio device and will not be available on Apple Music or Spotify. Ye went on to say that “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.”
This quickly caused a stir among fans, many of whom were unhappy with the Stem Player’s price point (a whopping $200) and the general vagueness surrounding the release. Ye’ later elaborated on the device’s capabilities, saying that the player allows the listener to remix the album’s songs using stems of vocals, drums, bass, samples, and more. Given Kanye’s history with pushed-back release dates and album changes, many fans are still skeptical.
Will you be purchasing a stem player for Donda 2?