February 16, 2024
Ye’s new album briefly from Apple Music and iTunes before being reintroduced amid issues surrounding distribution and uncleared samples.
Ye’s new album, Vultures 1, briefly disappeared from Apple Music and iTunes before being reintroduced amid issues surrounding distribution and uncleared samples.
The rap/fashion mogul released his new studio album with Ty Dolla Sign on Friday, February 9. But less than a week into full rotation, Ye saw the LP snatched from Apple Music and iTunes on Thursday afternoon with only a few singles remaining, Variety reports.
According to reports, FUGA, the initial distributor credited in YouTube’s metadata for Ye’s album, was actively working to remove Vultures 1 from all streaming platforms. However, shortly after the album vanished, it returned to the platforms through Label Engine, which is reportedly now in charge of distribution.
While Vultures 1 reappeared on all streaming platforms, the track “Good (Don’t Die),” which includes a non-approved interpolate of Donna Summer’s 1977 song “I Feel Love,” is noticeably absent. Last week, Summer’s estate released a statement accusing Ye of copyright infringement for releasing the song after being denied the sample.
Donna Summer’s estate says Kanye West used her song ‘I Feel Love’ for his new album after being denied permission:
“He was denied, he changed the words, had someone re-sing it or used AI” pic.twitter.com/3rk9Y5hHap
Veteran rock star Ozzy Osbourne also called Ye out for including an uncleared sample of his rock band Black Sabbath on the album. Osbourne made it clear he had no interest in working with Ye due to his antisemitic comments.
Meanwhile, FUGA never clarified why it no longer wanted to work with Ye. But did reveal it was a decision made sometime last year.
“Exercising our judgment in the ordinary course of business, we declined to do so,” FUGA said. “On Friday, February 9, 2024, a long-standing FUGA client delivered the album Vultures 1 through the platform’s automated processes, violating our service agreement. Therefore, FUGA is actively working with its DSP partners and the client to remove Vultures 1 from our systems.”
There have been several delays in releasing Vultures 1 due to distribution issues. It was initially set for release in 2023 before being pushed back multiple times as Ye worked to find a distributor.
According to Forbes, despite all the controversy surrounding Vultures 1, it was the number one album—in Australia.
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