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Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair
Last year, Kanye West began looking for a distribution deal to release a new album. When Vultures 1a full collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, finally dropped on Saturday, was through FUGA, a business-to-business technology and distribution platform for record labels, according to information available in YouTube’s content management system.
According to a company spokesperson, FUGA did not like it at all. “At the end of last year, FUGA was presented with the opportunity to launch Vultures 1“the spokesperson said in a statement to Billboard. “Exercising our judgment in the normal course of business, we decline to do so.”
The spokesperson continued: “on Friday, February 9, 2024, a former 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 customer to eliminate Vultures 1 of our systems.”
A representative for West did not respond to a request for comment.
When West began looking for a new distributor, some potential partners passed up the opportunity to work with him due to the rapper’s anti-Semitic comments. Interest from others waned when they discovered that streaming services may not support the album.
The lead single from Vultures 1“Vultures” was distributed by Label Engine, a company property of Create music group, according to information from the YouTube CMS. The follow-up, “Talking/Once Again,” was also delivered last week by Label Engine. The album was later delivered by FUGA.
FUGA’s plan to eliminate Vultures 1 from their platform is just the album’s latest setback. Its release was repeatedly delayed. After its release on Wednesday, the song “Good (Don’t Die)” was removed from Spotify following a complaint from Donna Summer’s estate.
“Kanye West…asked for permission to use Donna Summer’s song I Feel Love, was denied…changed the lyrics, had someone re-sing it or used AI, but it’s I Feel Love…a!!!” copyright infringement!!!” the farm wrote in a Instagram Story on Donna Summer’s official account on Saturday.