Kanye West - Donda 2 (Discussion Thread)

[Malik1time]

now you know damn well when Kanye gives you a date, add 2 weeks for the actual date

Exactly

 

[Ziggiy]

Requiring the stem player is dumb. Radiohead solved this issue in 2007: sell your album online directly to fans and allow them to pick their price (including 0). Kanye could change that and require at least $10 or whatever but creating a site and selling the album is superior to requiring the stem player.

I would have offered the deluxe album via stem player, and the regular album via whatever Bandcamp-type site Kanye would create. You’d make more money.

If Kanye cared about “album sales” i’d agree with you but i’m assuming this is more about getting the technology into as many hands as possible and pushing another avenue of revenue than the album itself.


He stands to make more money selling a $200 streaming device than he does a $10 digital download. He’s already boasted about making more money off of shoes and fashion than music. The music is now simply a gateway to the Kanye ecosystem.


And I don’t even blame him. Music has become more and more disposable. Record labels are fukking over artists even worse than they used to. And streaming is a straight joke. How does Kanye amass a gajillion streams and that only equal 400k in first week “sales”? Then Drake comes out a few months later and does 2 gajillion streams and that only equals 600k? How does Nas spend his first week at number 1 on Apple Music and Amazon and only end up with 56k? It doesn’t make ANY sense to even care or fuss about that stuff anymore. If you’re a popular musician just use your music as a platform to push your merch, tech, tours, fashion, or whatever else you’ve got going on that will make you some REAL money

 

[Da King]

Requiring the stem player is dumb. Radiohead solved this issue in 2007: sell your album online directly to fans and allow them to pick their price (including 0). Kanye could change that and require at least $10 or whatever but creating a site and selling the album is superior to requiring the stem player.

I would have offered the deluxe album via stem player, and the regular album via whatever Bandcamp-type site Kanye would create. You’d make more money.

Imagine giving that option today

 

[CarltonJunior]

Imagine giving that option today

People do it on bandcamp but I imagine they don't make a lot of money on it at all

Whatever happened to the "get a t-shirt + digital album" bundle people were doing? That was decent value

 

[Po pimp]

If Kanye cared about “album sales” i’d agree with you but i’m assuming this is more about getting the technology into as many hands as possible and pushing another avenue of revenue than the album itself.


He stands to make more money selling a $200 streaming device than he does a $10 digital download. He’s already boasted about making more money off of shoes and fashion than music. The music is now simply a gateway to the Kanye ecosystem.


And I don’t even blame him. Music has become more and more disposable. Record labels are fukking over artists even worse than they used to. And streaming is a straight joke. How does Kanye amass a gajillion streams and that only equal 400k in first week “sales”? Then Drake comes out a few months later and does 2 gajillion streams and that only equals 600k? How does Nas spend his first week at number 1 on Apple Music and Amazon and only end up with 56k? It doesn’t make ANY sense to even care or fuss about that stuff anymore. If you’re a popular musician just use your music as a platform to push your merch, tech, tours, fashion, or whatever else you’ve got going on that will make you some REAL money

Real shyt. I remember that clip of Left Eye breaking down why TLC had to go into bankruptcy despite selling like 10M albums. I think the group only made a little over a million after taxes, and then had to split THAT three ways.

 

[CrushedGroove]

This shyt came and went.

 

[Jx2]

Believe Kanye West when he gives you a release date brehs

 

[Ziggiy]

People do it on bandcamp but I imagine they don't make a lot of money on it at all

Whatever happened to the "get a t-shirt + digital album" bundle people were doing? That was decent value

They stopped counting Merch bundles towards album sales if I remember correctly.


Like I said there’s no real motivation to do anything “extra” unless its going to line your pockets more than album sales do nowadays. The best strategy for an artist is to have their fans/audience be invested in their ecosystem. Kanye, for all of his “craziness” (marketing gimmicks) understands this and I believe this Stem Player is the latest strategy into buying into this ecosystem.

 

[iamduval]

Well the concert is tonight so something will be released in some format lol

 

[Rayzah]

If Kanye cared about “album sales” i’d agree with you but i’m assuming this is more about getting the technology into as many hands as possible and pushing another avenue of revenue than the album itself.


He stands to make more money selling a $200 streaming device than he does a $10 digital download. He’s already boasted about making more money off of shoes and fashion than music. The music is now simply a gateway to the Kanye ecosystem.


And I don’t even blame him. Music has become more and more disposable. Record labels are fukking over artists even worse than they used to. And streaming is a straight joke. How does Kanye amass a gajillion streams and that only equal 400k in first week “sales”? Then Drake comes out a few months later and does 2 gajillion streams and that only equals 600k? How does Nas spend his first week at number 1 on Apple Music and Amazon and only end up with 56k? It doesn’t make ANY sense to even care or fuss about that stuff anymore. If you’re a popular musician just use your music as a platform to push your merch, tech, tours, fashion, or whatever else you’ve got going on that will make you some REAL money

good point.

While I refuse to buy whatever stem is I understand why artist are having to rely on all types of gimmicks to package their albums. From RZA selling an album auction style, to the package deals to now this. The average consumer doesn’t want to spend money on just one album anymore. I would rather subscribe to my favorite artist like a patreon type of service than have to pay 10 for 10-16 songs.

And no, the streaming numbers don’t make sense, I don’t even look at album sales anymore because it seems to be set up in a way to continue to rip off the artist. Artist should treat record labels like contractors, sign for no more than an album or two and then be free to move on. Record labels are only good when you are gearing up for a tour or want to do a joint venture.

 

[triplehate]

From what the homie with the stem player said if you buy the stem player you'll get access to the album from the website as soon as it's uploaded then you can just transfer the files to the stem when you get it.


In reality that means the shyt will be leaked immediately. But Kanye still got 200 dollars out of some people

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Real shyt. I remember that clip of Left Eye breaking down why TLC had to go into bankruptcy despite selling like 10M albums. I think the group only made a little over a million after taxes, and then had to split THAT three ways.

And that was back when there was a lot more money in the music industry than there is now. When music videos were clearing $1 million and Lyor Cohen gave DMX an advance of $1 million just to put out another album by the end of the year.

I wonder what kind of shytty deal TLC signed. If the movie's accurate, they didn't start getting proper management until FanMail.

Spoiler

As a side note, it's crazy how TLC was at the height of their fame and were still able to sell records when FanMail came out five years after CrazySexyCool. I'm surprised they didn't get left behind.

 

[OJ Simpsom]

Jeen-yuhs >> Donda 2

 

[Blessings]

https://www.twitch.tv/amazonmusic

 

[duckbutta]

Does Kanye even own his own music enough to make a decision like this