What is Stem Player? The Home of Kanye West's Next Album 'Donda 2'

Banging to the beat of his own drum once again, Kanye West has decided to release his upcoming album, Donda 2, exclusively on his own platform Stem Player.

He's foregoing the traditional launch of new music, which would typically appear on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or YouTube. West spoke openly about why he's planning on releasing Donda 2 on Stem Player.

Previously flying under the radar, West's announcement has got many people interested in what the Stem Player is, with many wondering how much it will cost to listen to the new album. Ye, as West is now known, explained his reasons for launching Donda 2 on Stem Player, and also shared new information about the record including the titles and the tracklist.

What is Stem Player?

Stem Player is both a streaming platform and a physical device that you can purchase.

The product is named after a stem, which is a music term used in audio production. Within a song, a stem is a grouped collection of sounds that are used as one unit. Stems can be removed, edited or changed during a song, which is the basis for the physical Stem Player.

The small device features a cross of four lights across the front, which was the image shared by West on his Instagram. The Stem Player allows you to customize any song, splitting it into stems, and according to the website, it also ships with Donda.

According to the Stem Player website, the handheld eponymous device features Bluetooth, soft skin and haptics. The front-facing part of the physical Stem Player features four touch-sensitive light sliders, which can be used to alter the volume of individual stems within a song. Other specs highlighted on the device include a 97DB speaker, 3.5mm jack, anti-static coating and 8GB storage. It is also able to support a number of music files including MP3s and WAVs.

Proving the device can be used on any song, the official Stem Player Twitter account shared a short video of the device playing and remixing "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto.

The Stem Player can be purchased for $200. West says there are currently 67,000 available and 3,000 a day are being made.

Fortunately, it seems as though fans may not need to fork out $200 to listen to Donda 2 on the Stem Player device, as it is also likely to be available online on the Stem Player platform too.

What West has said about Donda 2

West took aim at the "oppressive system" with his Stem Player announcement as he intends to "take control" by building his own streaming service. He encouraged his fans to go to the Stem Player website to be part of the revolution.

He even claimed to have turned down a "hundred million dollar Apple deal" for Donda 2 because, as he said, "no one can pay me to be disrespected."

Reflecting on the state of the music industry at the moment and how it affects artists, West said, "We set our own price for our art. Tech companies made music practically free so if you don't do merch sneakers and tours you don't eat."

He continued, "Jay Z made Tidal and fake media attacked him. Well in the words of my big brother," he said referring to Jay-Z, "I'm willing to die standing cause I ain't living on my knees no more. God please cover me. I run this company 100% I don't have to ask for permission."

He shared his excitement for the new Stem Player venture, and claimed to feel like how he felt in the first episode of the new Netflix documentary jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.

Getting fans excited for the new album, which is out on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, West also shared an image of the working tracklist from Donda 2.