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Kanye West’s Donda listening party reportedly breaks Apple’s streaming record

The listening party took place last week in Atlanta

Elizabeth Aubrey
Monday 26 July 2021 20:10 BST
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Kanye West interview

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Kanye West’s Donda listening party has broken a new record, according to reports.

West was supposed to release Donda on Friday (23 July), but no album materialised.

The rapper did, however, hold a massive listening party at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. It was attended by around 42,000 fans who paid between $20-$100 per ticket.

During the listening party, West apparently said nothing during the 48 minutes he spent roaming the stadium floor. He arrived almost two hours after the event’s start time and fans were played the new material loudly over stadium speakers, according to USA Today.

Now, according to sources speaking to TMZ, the streaming event broke Apple Music’s global livestream records, with over 3.3 million viewers watching from afar. The Independent has reached out to Apple Music for comment.

The previous record was set my Gucci Mane and Jeezy in their Verzuz battle earlier this year, which amassed a reported 1.8 million viewers.

Last week (24 July), it was reported that Kanye’s next album will be released on 6 August instead of the initial planned date.

Rolling Stone has now confirmed that West has moved into Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium to finish working on Donda, with living quarters and a studio space reportedly set up for his use.

You can watch highlights from the listening party event here.

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