Over the past week there has been much hoopla about rapper Kanye West’s latest album, The Life of Pablo.
Aside from multiple series of tweets from the musician, mentioning topics from “white publications” to his alleged $53 million debt, there has also been some grumbling from his fans about the inaccessibility of his new music.
READ MORE: Kanye West claims to be $53 million in debt
On Monday, West confirmed that TLOP would only be available on streaming service Tidal — not on Apple Music or anywhere else — so fans who wanted to hear his stuff would have to sign up for the program.
While Tidal quickly became the #1 app in the App Store, people were still having difficulty downloading or hearing his tunes. Many users complained about the payment system, which took their money but wouldn’t let them listen to the album.
Enter: torrent sites.
READ MORE: Kanye West asks “white publications” not to comment on black music
Soon after TLOP was released, it began to appear on pirate or torrent sites like Pirate Bay; it is now one of the most shared music torrents on the site.
TorrentFreak estimates that about 500,000 people have already downloaded a copy of TLOP for free.
Aside from torrent sites, the album is also being widely shared on direct download services and hosting sites, increasing the overall piracy numbers even further.
Even though security and copyright protectors are working to take down the torrents, they’re multiplying faster than they can be controlled.
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