The distributor for Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s album ‘Vultures 1’ is currently in the process of pulling the album from streaming platforms. This action comes after the distributor had initially declined to work with West on the album rollout.
By Thursday afternoon, the album had been taken down from Apple Music, although it still remains accessible on Spotify.
FUGA, a music distribution company owned by Downtown Music Holdings, disclosed on Thursday that despite declining an offer to work with Kanye West last year, another FUGA user seemingly associated with West proceeded to upload the album.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for Downtown Music, FUGA’s parent company, explained, “Late last year, FUGA was presented with the opportunity to release ‘Vultures 1’. Exercising our judgment in the ordinary course of business, we declined to do so. 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.” (A representative for West did not immediately respond to requests for comment.)
Music distributors serve on behalf of recording artists to upload their music onto streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. These distributors typically have the authority to remove music as needed. If West cannot reach an agreement with FUGA, he may require a new distributor to re-release the album.
FUGA’s decision marks the climax of what has been a tumultuous rollout, even by Kanye West’s standards. The album faced numerous delays before finally being released last week.
Following its release, Ozzy Osbourne publicly criticized West for using an unauthorized Black Sabbath sample, accusing West of being antisemitic. Additionally, the estate of Donna Summer stated that West utilized the singer’s track “I Feel Love” without obtaining clearance for its use.
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