CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Variety reports:

Rather than be able to claim any bragging rights for streaming or sales when his new album comes out Feb. 22, Kanye West’s deliberately limiting its listenership to one device … one that can only be purchased from him.

So how much will it cost you to listen to “Donda 2” later this month? About $230 — assuming you don’t already own a Stem Player, a handheld device that he began selling last fall, which he now says will be the exclusive platform, and hardware, for the forthcoming album.

The device can only be obtained through a single website, stemplayer.com, with a base price of $200, plus $10 for shipping plus taxes. “Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player,” he announced Friday, adding for emphasis: “Not on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or YouTube.”

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