Kanye West Claims The Life Of Pablo Will Never Be Available For Sale

Released Saturday (February 13), Kanye West’s seventh solo album may have a quality different than his other six, as well as the Cruel Summer and Watch The Throne collaborative projects. The album, which features Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper, and Young Thug, may not be available for purchase of any kind.

Kanye_jean

In a series of tweets yesterday (February 15), the artist claimed that the LP will remain exclusive to streaming platform, Tidal. Upon release, the album was not available for purchase via iTunes, or on rival streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.

Although West named iTunes by name, he also said that the work “will never be for sale.” This appears to indicate that CD and vinyl editions of the album will not be available at retail.

Eleven months ago, Kanye West was present for the Tidal Launch Event. The artist joined Lady Gaga, J. Cole, Daft Punk, Rihanna and others at an event to publicize the platform which Jay Z invested in. On the previous six Kanye albums were all released through Roc-A-Fella Records, a company that Jay co-founded in the mid-1990s.

Another multi-platinum producer, Dr. Dre, released his third solo album, Compton, exclusively to the Apple digital platforms in 2015. However, that Grammy-nominated Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records release is also available on physical formats.

West, whose first six albums are all platinum or better, will still be eligible for certification from the RIAA—thanks to the new streaming rules.

The decision comes amidst West’s public revelation of a $53 million debt.

Def Jam Records has not publicly responded to West’s claims.

Related: Kanye West Introduces The Life of Pablo As a Living, Breathing Visual Experience (Videos)