Why Fans Could Boycott Kanye West's 'Donda 2' Album Amid Streaming Issues

On Thursday, award-winning rapper and songwriter Kanye West shocked fans after announcing that his forthcoming album, “Donda 2, which is due for release on Feb. 22, will only be available via his $200 product, the Stem Player.

“Donda 2 will only be available on my platform, the Stem Player. Not on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or YouTube,” Ye wrote per BuzzFeed. “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.”

“Donda 2” is West’s much-anticipated sequel to his 2021 LP “Donda,” which famously faced several hurdles before it ultimately dropped in various music streaming platforms in August.

Ye explained that the new device is his way of taking back control from the “oppressive” music industry. The newly-released set helped the “Flashing Lights” rapper bag $2,227,012.05 within 24 hours.

The player allows users to remix the album’s songs using stems of vocals, drums, bass, and samples. Such a move caused Apple to reportedly pull their sponsorship deal with Kanye. That canceled deal is said to be worth $2 million, NME noted.

As for West, he further urged fans to visit the website and grab their own player, which ships with a copy of “Donda 2,” later drawing flak over its hefty price tag. Some fans said they may most likely boycott the album instead of spending $200 for it, calling it “ridiculous.”

“F**k you, Kanye,” a commenter on Instagram said, the remark later garnering more than 7,000 likes.

“Quite possibly the biggest ‘f**k you’ I’ve felt as a Kanye fan,” another put-out follower wrote on Reddit.

Another netizen would provide a longer anecdote on the issue: “You don’t like streaming services, cool… But to make it only available on a new piece of technology that costs $200? That is beyond absurd and there’s absolutely no way to justify that. All he’s doing is hurting his fans.”

Amidst the massive backlash, Ye’s camp then revealed that his upcoming concert that will feature “Donda 2” tracks will be streamed live at IMAX theaters across 15 American cities. Concertgoers have reportedly paid around $ 1,100 for tickets to witness the shows at LoanDeport Park, according to The News International.