— formerly known as — has lost partnerships with fashion brands including , and following his antisemitic comments in recent weeks. Now, questions remain about the business that helped propel Ye onto the fashion scene in the first place: Music.
Since 2004's "The College Dropout" — his critically acclaimed and commercially successful debut album — Ye has been one of the most popular and notable artists in the world. He has had countless hits and 10 number-one albums, according to .
But all of that could be at risk due to the performer's recent behavior and comments.
Over the past month, Ye has garnered an intense backlash by wearing a "as well as making threats on Twitter against Jewish people. That has led retailers, social media platforms, fashion and entertainment companies to
But what does this all mean for Ye's music career?
Universal Music Group — one of the biggest record companies in the world — said Tuesday that its relationship with Ye ended in 2021, adding that there's "no place for antisemitism in our society."
"Def Jam's relationship with Ye as a recording artist, Def Jam's partnership with the GOOD Music label venture and Ye's merchandise agreement with Bravado all ended in 2021," UMG said in a statement to CNN Business.
The company added, "we are deeply committed to combating antisemitism and every other form of prejudice."
Serona Elton, professor of music industry studies at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, believes that Ye's music career now needs to be broken into two parts: "What happens with his existing music in the marketplace? And what happens with any new music he might create?"
"Certainly, there will be people who have changed the way they feel about him, and their mind will be made up from now on," Elton said. "But there will be others, who either are uninformed about the situation or simply don't care about his views, that will choose to focus solely on his artistry."
Some have already stopped listening.
Streams of Ye's songs plunged by 23% in the United States between October 13 and October 20 and airplay fell by 13%, according to . This has led some to ask if his songs should be banned by streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.
Elton says that's unlikely.
"I think music services are generally not in the business of assessing the moral standing of the artist," she said.
Elton pointed out that singer R. Kelly, who was convicted on in September, has not had his music removed.
Spotify won't remove Ye's music unless his label asks for it to be removed, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek on Tuesday.
"It's really just his music, and his music doesn't violate our policy," Ek said. "It's up to his label, if they want to take action or not."
Ek added that Ye's remarks are "just awful comments."
As for Apple Music, it did not immediately respond to CNN Business' request for comment regarding Ye's music.
One area that could see a financial impact for both Ye and Universal Music Group is the licensing of his music.
Listeners may continue to buy his albums, go to his concerts and stream his songs even after the latest backlash. However, it's a steeper hill to climb to convince film makers, TV producers and advertisers to pony up big money to associate with Ye and his songs — no matter how popular his music might be.
"I'd be surprised if you saw Universal or any company out there be willing to invest in actively trying to promote Ye's songs for licensing opportunities," Elton said. "I think they'll redirect their energies elsewhere."
Top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, two security sources told Reuters.
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Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
A paid passenger on an expedition to the Titanic with the company that owned the Titan submersible testified before a U.S. Coast Guard investigatory panel Friday that the mission he took part in was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure.
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Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
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In the middle of the small crowd — near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table — stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani. 'When I say 'tenant, you say 'power,'' she commanded to several dozen tenants, who chanted back with gusto. What looked like a summer block party in front of two north-end Toronto apartment buildings last month was a celebration of what renters who withheld payments for months called a 'huge victory.'
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Lawmakers are scrambling to ensure that the U.S. Secret Service has enough money and resources to keep the nation's presidential candidates safe amid repeated threats of violence. It's unclear, though, how much they can do with only weeks before the election, or if additional dollars would make an immediate difference.
The mayor of a French town making headlines for the trial of dozens of men accused of rapes that occurred there over almost a decade has apologized for comments that appeared to downplay the case.
A federal law enforcement agency confirmed it's opened an investigation into Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he allegedly cut off the head of a dead whale and took it home two decades ago.
Smoke is rising over Lebanon’s capital of Beirut Friday after Israel’s military struck southern suburbs – a dramatic escalation in a year-long period of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lawyers in Britain representing dozens of alleged victims of Mohamed Al Fayed, the former boss of Harrods, said Friday their clients assert that he was a 'monster' who raped and sexually abused young women.
A 20-year-old man and his co-conspirator have been charged with conspiracy to steal and launder over US$230 million in cryptocurrency, and federal authorities said the arrests are connected to an FBI raid of a mansion in Miami.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
The head of Via Rail repeatedly told MPs a train delay over the Labour Day long weekend was an isolated incident, despite a similar event two years ago.
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Ontario’s Minister of Sport, Neil Lumsden, will donate his brain to research.
Software company Mustimuhw Information, which develops medical records systems built on a foundation of Indigenous traditions and values, is allowing health providers to capture data informed by cultural practices.
Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Lawyers representing the producers of 'Russians at War' say they may pursue legal action against Ontario's public broadcaster for pulling support for the controversial documentary amid outcry from the Ukrainian community and some Canadian politicians.
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British actress Florence Pugh has revealed that shaving her head for her latest movie role was a 'really bizarre' experience that sent her body 'into a bit of trauma.'
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Driving into the tunnels of Nutrien's Rocanville mine, the largest potash mine in the world by production volume, feels like driving down a lonely highway in the middle of the night.
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Getting a bed at one of British Columbia's drug detoxification facilities is like winning the lottery, the vice-president on the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council says.
The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.
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A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.
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North Bay Police Service says one person has died following an industrial accident at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Rail Yard on Tuesday.
Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
Jim Lester’s farm hopped on the cow-cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.
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