So you want to buy a digital download of Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo”? If it were available on iTunes or Amazon, it might cost $11.99 at most. On amazon, his older albums are priced around five, six and seven dollars.
But Kanye isn’t selling it there. He’s selling it on his own website, kanyewest.com, for 20 bucks. That’s it. You want it, Kanye’s saying, then pay up.
Otherwise, “Pablo” is only available on streaming services through a subscription.
It’s a new way of doing business. At first, “Pablo” was only on Tidal, and pretty messy as a draft of an album.
For this new iteration, the album has been cleaned up and made to sound like an actual release. It’s a very good album, too. Kanye says it’s a masterpiece and probably will demand a Grammy award for it. All that aside, it’s an interesting record. I wish it were on CD so it could be played on a proper stereo system.
“Pablo” is a collage of Kanye’s rants, lots of guest cameos, and samples of other music. The white Motown group of the late 60s, Rare Earth, is revived, for example. Rihanna sings better on “Famous” than she does on her own album. All the songs have long lists of composers and collaborators.
But if you want “Pablo,” so far there are no discounts. Twenty bucks. And Kanye says there will be updates. Unclear if you have to pay for them too. But it’s likely.
