MBW’s Stat Of The Week is a sequence during which we spotlight a single information level that deserves the eye of the worldwide music trade. Stat Of the Week is supported by Cinq Music Group, a technology-driven report label, distribution, and rights administration firm.
Will 2022 be outlined because the 12 months that hip-hop icons taught the music trade beneficial classes concerning the spending energy of so-called ‘tremendous followers’?
Final week, we realized that Snoop Dogg had offered over $44 million-worth of “stash field” NFTs, related together with his new B.O.D.R. (Bacc On Loss of life Row) album, in simply 5 days.
To generate that determine from streaming, at typical trade royalty charges, Snoop’s album must be performed greater than 11 billion occasions on the likes of Spotify.
Now one other fascinating story is opening up: Kanye West (who now refers to himself as Ye) claimed in a media launch yesterday (Saturday, February 19) that he had generated over $2 million in gross sales from his Stem Participant system since Thursday (February 17).
Thursday was the date that Ye publicly confirmed he can be releasing his new album, Donda 2, completely by way of his Stem Participant. The album won’t be (legally) showing on any streaming platforms at launch.
Ye’s Stem Participant was first unveiled in August final 12 months. A handheld round system co-created by the artist’s personal Yeezy Tech, it permits customers to separate the star’s music (or their very own music) into stems, i.e. isolating drums, vocals, bass, samples and so on.
It additionally permits customers to govern these stems / samples, and create loops from them – which means that Ye followers can use his recordings as the premise to create contemporary tracks.
Ye’s Stem Participant could be bought on-line (by way of KanyeWest.com and stemplayer.com) for $200 (US) / £200 (UK).
Due to this fact, for Ye’s declare of $2 million-plus revenues from the Stem Participant in these three days – Thursday via Saturday – to face up, it should even be true that the star offered round 10,000 items of the system in that timeframe.
Donda 2, due for launch on Tuesday (February 22), is the follow-up to Ye’s Grammy-nominated Donda, which achieved one of many greatest ever first weeks for an album on each Spotify and Apple Music when it was launched in August final 12 months.
Within the weeks following its launch, Donda surpassed a billion streams on Spotify globally.
“At the moment artists get simply 12% of the cash the trade makes. It’s time to free music from the oppressive system. It’s time to take management and construct our personal.”
Kanye West (on February 17)
Regardless of this blockbuster success, Ye has determined to fully shun streaming platforms with Donda 2’s launch – whereas being vocal about his opposition to music’s trendy digital mannequin.
He wrote on Instagram on Thursday (February 17): “Donda 2 will solely be obtainable alone platform, the Stem Participant. Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube.
“At the moment artists get simply 12% of the cash the trade makes. It’s time to free music from the oppressive system. It’s time to take management and construct our personal.”
A media launch issued yesterday (February 19) on behalf of Ye reads: “YE TAKES FULL OWNERSHIP OF HIS MUSIC WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DONDA 2 RELEASING EXCLUSIVELY ON HIS NEWEST STREAMING DEVICE, STEM PLAYER ON 2.22.22.”
Ye’s first Donda album was launched on his personal Getting Out Our Desires II label, and distributed by Common Music Group-owned Def Jam.
Intriguingly, Ye’s all-caps media launch this weekend carries the headline: “YE PASSES $100 MILLION DEAL WITH APPLE TO RELEASE DONDA 2 ON STEM PLAYER.”
Nevertheless, it didn’t provide any extra element on the alleged $100 million provide from Apple.
If that determine is correct, it makes you marvel: what would possibly Apple demand for a nine-figure settlement with Kanye West?
After 10 albums after being beneath 10 contracts. I turned down 100 million greenback Apple deal. Nobody pays me to be disrespected… Tech corporations made music virtually free so for those who don’t do merch sneakers and excursions you don’t eat.”
Kanye West (on February 18)
You’d assume that one factor of such a deal can be a livestreaming unique partnership for Ye’s Donda 2 launch live performance (‘The Donda Expertise’), which shall be held at Miami’s LoanDepot Park Stadium on Tuesday (February 22), that includes performances from Ye and “further particular friends”.
Apple was the livestreaming accomplice of a sequence of Ye “listening events” for the Donda album earlier than it arrived final 12 months.
Tickets for the brand new Donda Expertise present are being offered by Ticketmaster, and are at the moment priced between $95 and $282, with VIP packages priced between $850 and $1,100.
However $100 million is numerous dough for a mere livestreaming partnership. May Apple even have been prepared to pay to lock down a streaming-exclusive launch settlement for Donda 2 – and maybe future Ye albums?
No matter Apple (allegedly) proposed, Ye’s outright snub of streaming for Donda 2 has put paid to any mooted settlement between the artist and the Cupertino big.
On Friday (February 18), Ye posted a screenshot of a textual content message on Instagram, seemingly from an unnamed trade affiliate, that reads: “From Damian. Please inform Ye that the Apple is not doing the sponsorship deal.”
The star commented in one other submit: “After 10 albums after being beneath 10 contracts. I turned down 100 million greenback Apple deal. Nobody pays me to be disrespected. We set our personal worth for our artwork. Tech corporations made music virtually free so for those who don’t do merch sneakers and excursions you don’t eat.
“Jay Z made Tidal and pretend media attacked him. Properly within the phrases of my huge brother. Come and get me. I’m prepared to die standing trigger I ain’t dwelling on my knees no extra. God please cowl me. I run this firm 100% I don’t need to ask for permission. That is our 2nd technology stem participant. We’ve extra issues we engaged on.”
So how will Ye’s experiment – requiring followers to purchase a $200 piece of playback {hardware} as a way to legally hear his upcoming album – pan out?
Judging by the feedback thread on Ye’s Instagram account over the previous week, there’s definitely upset amongst sections of his fanbase that the star is asking them to cough up for a Stem Participant as a way to hear Donda 2.
Some followers are additionally not delighted about dropping the moment comfort of a launch touchdown on their favored streaming service.
But from an trade perspective, Kanye West is actively difficult, even protesting, the now-standard everything-goes-on-Spotify-on-day-one streaming paradigm.
By locking his new album launch (as greatest he can; it’s sure to be pirated) to a high-ticket tech system, Ye is following the long-held premium retail technique of shortage: financially testing the devotion of his most hardened fanbase, and their want to be a part of a one-time occasion.
Via this lens, the Stem Participant itself could possibly be seen as a hi-tech piece of artist merchandise – a fascinating, commemorative souvenir from this era of Ye’s profession that many mega-fans is likely to be proud to personal.
Additionally, contemplating the Beatles (by way of Stella McCartney) are at the moment promoting a branded cardigan for $1,395, maybe the $200 price-tag of the Stem Participant isn’t fairly as prohibitive to sections of Ye’s fanbase as his detractors would possibly like to assert.
One factor’s for positive: Amid typically fiery conversations about what streaming has accomplished to the worth of music – each within the shopper’s thoughts, and in actual financial phrases – Ye is conducting a must-watch experiment with Donda 2 and Stem Participant.
Sure, it’s an experiment that might backfire. On Friday, Ye acknowledged that his tech agency at the moment had 67,000 Stem Gamers obtainable on the market and was manufacturing 3,000 a day.
The subsequent day, he revealed that the Stem Participant had secured $9.5 million in lifetime web revenues so far; equal to round 47,500 whole unit gross sales.
These stats point out that, even when the Stem Participant generates huge demand and sells out earlier than Tuesday, Donda 2 would nonetheless solely (legally) be heard by lower than 125,000 Stem Participant-owning Ye followers.
Attain-wise, that’s a far cry from a billion Spotify streams.
On the similar time, although, West seems to be making a focused play for a small-scale part of super-fans and super-fans solely: If 15,000 folks, for instance, all purchased Ye’s Stem Participant to listen to Donda 2, and likewise shelled out $200 for a front-section ticket to his Miami present, it might financial institution him a cool $6 million.
That sort of strategy isn’t going to get you a No.1 report on the Billboard 200.
Nevertheless it would possibly, optimistically – and a big sufficient subsection of prosperous mega-fans – truly financial institution Ye more cash than a billion or two streams would generate in royalties on the world’s main digital platforms.
Learn the media launch issued yesterday (February 19) on behalf of Ye beneath.
YE PASSES $100 MILLION DEAL WITH APPLE TO RELEASE DONDA 2 ON STEM PLAYER
YE TAKES FULL OWNERSHIP OF HIS MUSIC WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DONDA 2 RELEASING EXCLUSIVELY ON HIS NEWEST STREAMING DEVICE, STEM PLAYER ON 2.22.22
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE RELEASE OF THE DONDA 2, YE IS COMBINING MUSIC, ART, AND FASHION THROUGH HIS DONDA 2 PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE AND YEEZY GAP COLLABORATION ENGINEERED BY BALENCIAGA
STEM PLAYER IS YE’S NEWEST AUDIO STREAMING DEVICE THAT HAS NETTED MORE THAN $2 MILLION IN REVENUE SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH
STEM PLAYER ALLOWS USERS TO CUSTOMIZE ANY SONG AND FEATURES VOCAL CONTROLS, BEAT SAMPLES, REAL-TIME LOOP AND SPEED CONTROL, THE ABILITY TO SAVE, PLAYBACK, AND DOWNLOAD MIXES AND MUCH MORE
THE DONDA 2 PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE WILL TAKE PLACE IN MIAMI, FL AT THE LOANDEPOT PARK WITH PERFORMANCES BY ADDITIONAL SPECIAL GUESTS ON
2.22.2022
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