by Ye, the rapper, producer and provocateur formerly known as Kanye West, has what will likely be the No. 1 album on next week’s Billboard chart, with “Vultures 1.” But on Thursday, the LP disappeared from Apple Music, one of the world’s largest streaming platforms.
The reason was unclear and Apple gave no explanation. But the removal came just hours after an independent distribution outlet complained that its system had been used to publish the music in violation of its terms of service.
It was also unclear if (and in what time frame) Ye’s album could return to Apple, perhaps through another distributor.
“Vultures 1,” a joint release with R&B singer Ty Dolla Sign, was set to be Ye’s comeback moment after a series of anti-Semitic comments in 2022 turned him into a music and fashion pariah, sans label. record label or booking agent, and with his lucrative partnership with Adidas cancelled. In December, he apologized for those comments in a social media post written in Hebrew.
After hearing events last week at stadiums in Chicago and Long Island, where young fans flocked to hear his new music and some ignored his past controversies, Ye released the 16-track “Vultures 1” last Friday.
It quickly became a hit on streaming platforms, despite a series of setbacks, including its brief disappearance online shortly after its release, and complaints from Ozzy Osbourne and the heritage of donna summer that the album’s songs sampled those artists’ work without permission.
But on Thursday, with high streaming numbers virtually guaranteeing that “Vultures 1” would become his 11th charting LP, the album was removed from Apple Music. An Apple representative did not respond to requests for comment.
As of late afternoon, the album was still available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and other platforms.
On Thursday, “Buitres 1” had been the subject of a complaint by Fuga, a distribution platform that works with independent record labels to place their music on streaming services.
A company spokeswoman said that Fuga had passed up the opportunity to release “Vultures 1” last year, “exercising our judgment in the normal course of business,” but that on February 9, a customer turned the album over to services. online. “through the platform’s automated processes, violating our service agreement.” Fuga said it sent takedown notices to streaming platforms.
Surprisingly, once the album was removed from Apple, Fuga’s spokeswoman said the removal was “unrelated to our distribution of the album” and referred questions to Apple.
With the explosion of digital music in the streaming era, millions of songs are released each year through independent distribution platforms like Fuga that exist outside of the major label system.
For a modest fee, these companies often offer independent artists the opportunity to reach audiences around the world, although the sheer volume of content sometimes leads to problems such as hoaxes and unauthorized releases, as was the case in 2018, when it arrived a supposed new Beyoncé album hits stores. streaming services; It turned out to be a collection of old demos and other recordings released without authorization.
A representative for Ye did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
