The 44-year-old businessman, known for his eccentricities and mood swings, announced on Instagram that his fans could listen to different musical tracks from his upcoming album "Donda 2" - vocals, drums, bass and vocals. melody - on a device in the form of a small speaker connected and called "Stem Player".
It will cost them $200 from February 22.
"Tech companies have made music almost free, so if you don't pay for sneakers and tours, you don't eat," wrote the billionaire on his Instagram account.
"Artists today only collect 12% of the money the (music) industry makes. It's time to free music from this system of oppression," Kanye West said, calling on his colleagues and sisters to "take control and build (their) own" system.
Kanye West on stage in 2015 in Toronto, Canada TIMOTHY A. CLARY AFP/Archives
"No one can pay me to be disrespected. We set our own price for our art," says Kanye West, who now calls himself Ye.
He has already taken a stand against the streaming giants, in a more global context of a call for a boycott of the Swedish platform Spotify launched by rock legend Neil Young, in the fight against the misinformation that would be conveyed by the host's podcasts. American Joe Rogan.
Having become a billionaire thanks to his Yeezy shoes with Adidas, the rapper made a religious and mystical turn, which led him to win a Grammy Award in 2021 in the category "best album of contemporary Christian music" for his album "Jesus Is King".
His latest album, "Donda", was released in 2021.
The rapper, who was the husband of the wealthy reality TV star Kim Kardashian and from whom he is now separated, had supported Donald Trump in 2016, before presenting himself in the presidential election of 2020, collecting 60,000 votes in the twelve American states in which he was qualified.
© 2022 AFP