Kanye West has claimed that he does not plan to sell his music catalog including 11 solo albums. It was previously reported that the rapper’s team is allegedly making more than $100 million worth of sales for his songs.
Kanye West, 45, claims his music catalog was sold without his permission, with annual royalties estimated at $13.25 million. Ye compared the situation to his former rival Taylor Swift, whose guru was sold to Scooter Braun in 2019, who allegedly did not Without her knowledge and without her permission. “Like Taylor Swift. I’m publishing to sell without my knowledge,” Kanye wrote on Instagram Stories on Tuesday, September 20. “Not to be sold.”
The day before Kanye’s post, Billboard reported that Ye and his team had been looking for potential buyers for Kanye’s music catalog. The rapper reportedly earns $5 million a year from the $13.25 million in royalties generated by his music. Kanye and his team are said to be looking to sell his catalog for $175 million, although Ye’s statement indicates he was not involved in the potential sale.
According to Billboard sources, Sony Music Pictures is said to be involved in the sale of the catalog, although “efforts to ship Kanye’s music have slowed in recent months.” The source also told the publication that Kanyee “received a Offers from buyers of private equity and other music assets,” but he never made a serious attempt to sell his catalog.
Kanye has released 11 studio albums and two collaborative albums, one with Jay-Z and one with former Kids See Ghosts partner Kid Cudi. In the past, Kanye has claimed that he does not have any musical masters. In 2019, he even sued Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV Music Publishing over the matter, although Variety later reported that Ye did own some (but not all) masters.
The plot of Kanye’s music comes amid a major change in his YEEZY brand. On September 15, Kanye decided to cut ties with Gap and officially ended the YEEZY Gap partnership two years later. According to the New York Times, Yeli apparently sent Gap a notice of breach, and Gap received a response two weeks later, but Kanye was not satisfied with the response and terminated their agreement. This all comes after Kanye publicly slammed Gap for plagiarizing its Balenciaga designs. He also hinted that he was ready to fire Adidas, another longtime YEEZY partner.
