Skip to main content

Kanye West breaks Apple Music livestream record again thanks to ‘Donda’ hype

Kanye West has broken another Apple Music livestream record. This time, Billboard reports that 5.4 million people tuned in to last week’s exclusive Apple Music livestream of the Donda creation process.

As we reported last week, Apple Music and Kanye teamed up to offer a livestream of the artist working on the album at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The stream consisted of a single-camera view of the room beneath Mercedes-Benz Stadium that Kanye had been calling home.

Throughout the stream, which had no sound, viewers got to watch Kanye record vocal tracks for then album, work out, eat Chick-Fil-A, and much more. A handful of notable rappers and artists also appeared on the live stream, including Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Lil Yachty.

Billboard reports today that 5.4 million people tuned in to watch this silent stream of Kanye on Apple Music, setting a new Apple Music record. The record was previously held by the live stream of Kanye’s first Donda listening event held on July 23, which drew 3.3 million viewers.

The report puts that 5.4 million figure into some context:

For context, the total is more than double the current livestream record on Twitch – and approaches the 2020 Primetime Emmys, which pulled in an audience of 6.1 million people across the U.S. last September -–making it one of the biggest livestream events in the past year. Sources say the Donda listening party generated over 1.1 million tweets at its peak, outpacing Twitter activity for the 2020 MTV VMAs.

Regardless, Kanye still has not released Donda, but the album is believed to be slated for a release sometime in the coming weeks.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications