YE – formerly known as kanye-west — has lost associations with fashion brands, including Gap, Balenciaga Y Adidas following his anti-Semitic comments in recent weeks. now questions remain about the business that helped propel Ye onto the fashion scene in the first place: music.
Since 2004’s “The College Dropout,” his critically acclaimed and commercially successful debut album, Ye has been one of the world’s most popular and notable artists. He has had countless hits and 10 number one albums, according to Billboard.
But all of that could be at risk due to the artist’s recent behavior and comments.
For the past month, Ye has gotten intense backlash by using a “White Lives Matter T-shirt in addition to making threats on Twitter against the Jewish people. That has led retailers, social media platforms, fashion and entertainment companies to abandon it en masse.
But what does all this mean for Ye’s music career?
A RACE IN TWO PARTS
Universal Music Group, one of the world’s largest record companies, said Tuesday that its relationship with Ye will end in 2021, adding “there is no place for anti-Semitism in our society.”
“Def Jam’s relationship with Ye as a recording artist, Def Jam’s association with the GOOD Music label, and Ye’s merchandising agreement with Bravado ended in 2021,” UMG said in a statement to CNN Business.
The company added: “We are deeply committed to fighting anti-Semitism and any other form of prejudice.”
Serona Elton, a professor of music industry studies at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, believes Ye’s music career now needs to be divided into two parts: “What about his existing music in the market? what about any new music he could create?”
“Certainly, there will be people who have changed their feelings for him, and from now on they will make a decision,” Elton said. “But there will be others, who are not informed about the situation or just don’t care about his views, who will choose to focus solely on his art.”
Some have already stopped listening.
WILL SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC DROP YE’S MUSIC?
Streams of Ye’s songs plummeted 23% in the United States between October 13 and 20, with airplay dropping 13%, according to Variety. This has led some to question whether his songs should be banned by streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
Elton says that’s unlikely.
“I think music services are generally not in the business of evaluating the moral standing of the artist,” he said.
Elton noted that singer R. Kelly, who was convicted of multiple charges of child pornography in September, his music has not been withdrawn.
Spotify will not remove Ye’s music unless his label requests that it be removed, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told Reuters on Tuesday.
“It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,” Ek said. “It depends on their label, whether they want to take action or not.”
Ek added that Ye’s comments are “just horrible comments.”
As for Apple Music, it did not immediately respond to CNN Business’ request for comment about Ye’s music.
One area that could have a financial impact for both Ye and Universal Music Group is the licensing of their music.
Listeners can continue to buy his albums, go to his concerts, and stream his songs even after the latest backlash. However, it is a steeper hill to climb to convince filmmakers, TV producers and advertisers to spend a lot of money to be associated with Ye and her songs, no matter how popular her music is.
“I’d be surprised if you saw Universal or any other company willing to actively invest in trying to promote Ye’s songs for licensing opportunities,” Elton said. “I think they will redirect her energies elsewhere.”