Shortly after releasing “Vultures 1,” his collaboration album with Ty Dolla Sign, Kanye West is facing a difficult situation in keeping the project on streaming services: The album was removed from Apple Music and iTunes on Thursday afternoon (although several of its tracks remain).
With word that its distributor was working to remove it from all streaming services. But shortly after, the album returned to the platforms thanks to Label Engine, who is now reportedly handling the distribution.
According to FUGA, which was listed as a distribution service in the album’s YouTube metadata, West initially uploaded the album to DSPs on Saturday through its automated process after the company initially refused to distribute the record.
Now, as first reported by Billboard, FUGA claims to be working directly with streaming platforms to remove the album from their respective databases.
So far, it has been removed from the iTunes and Apple Music stores, and a song that overlaps with Donna Summer’s 1977 song “I Feel Love,” apparently without permission, was previously pulled from Spotify.
“Late last year, FUGA was offered the opportunity to release Tai 1. Using our discretion in the normal course of business, we declined to do so,” FUGA shared in a statement to Variety.
“On Friday, February 9, 2024, a long-time client of FUGA submitted the album ‘Vultures 1’ through the platform’s automated processes, in violation of our service agreement. Therefore, FUGA is actively working with its DSP partners and the client to remove Vultures 1 from our systems.
Since FUGA’s statement morning, distribution for “Vultures 1” has reportedly moved to Label Engine, which was previously listed as the distributor for two of the album’s tracks prior to its release.
Last year, West was shopping around for potential distributors after years of releasing music while signed to Universal Music Group.
Now a freelance artist, he is said to have been denied distribution services by many companies because of his anti-Semitic remarks.
