Seems as if Kanye West is in full self-promotion mode for his never really finished album, “The Life of Pablo” which was released on Sunday through streaming service “Tidal“.
Prior to the Grammy’s Monday afternoon, Kanye took it upon himself to go on a Twitter rant stating that his new album will indeed “never never never” be available through Apple Music, and it will “never be for sale.”
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699376240709402624
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699376319285465088
Kanye said that it won’t be available ANYWHERE except Tidal, which can either go one of two ways. You subscribe to Tidal …
… or you go the old fashioned route and not support the artist by downloading it ‘elsewhere’ online, and then listening to it through iTunes.
On the one hand, don't steal music. On the other hand… Tidal exclusives.
— Rich Brome (@rbrome) February 16, 2016
Saying that to say this: Just this past Saturday, Kanye found himself admitting to being $53 million in debt, even going to lengths of tweeting Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook to donate to ‘Kanye West Ideas’. At this time, Zuckerberg has yet to respond to Kanye.
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698699904303132672
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698926987281371136
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699106758816632832
So what would be more of a brilliant solution than to settle your own debt problems by placing your product on a platform — Apple iTunes — that has historically helped your album sales, as well as others on the Tidal platform, such as Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and yes, even Kanye’s best friend, another billionaire he could ask for a loan from … Jay Z.
Ironically, Kanye compares himself to Steve Jobs on the very same album which he refuses to sell or allow on the Apple platform. The Tidal-only move, many say, is due to the heavy black ownership in the company. However, there are plenty of other races who have their hands in that pot, including acts like Coldplay, Jack White, and Daft Punk, so it’s safe to say that Kanye might not be using the race card on this front.
This could easily just be swept under the bridge as “my Twitter was hacked”, or it could be a case of Kanye loving Kanye, but as a fan, as well as a subscriber of both Apple Music and Tidal, I personally feel like the album isn’t that great to just think one streaming music service will help the College Dropout dig himself out of what must be one hell of a student loan debt. So as of right now, the only way you can actually legally listen to Kanye’s “TLOP” (The Life of Pablo) is through Tidal, which is available in the App Store.
Also in other Kanye/Steve Jobs News:
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699686698070966272
https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/699687128956018690
However: