‘Donda’ Hype helped Kanye break Apple Music livestream record again

Kanye West has set a new record for Apple Music livestreams. Last week’s exclusive Apple Music livestream of the Donda creation process drew 5.4 million viewers, according to Billboard.

Kanye West and Apple Music collaborated to provide a webcast of the artist working on the album at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The stream was a single-camera view of Kanye’s room beneath Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which he had been calling home.

Viewers got to see Kanye record vocal tracks for the album, work out, eat Chick-Fil-A, and much more throughout the feed, which had no sound. Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Lil Yachty were among the noteworthy rappers and performers who appeared on the live webcast.

According to Billboard, 5.4 million people tuned in to watch Kanye’s quiet stream on Apple Music, breaking an Apple Music record. The previous record was held by the live webcast of Kanye’s inaugural Donda listening event, which drew 3.3 million viewers on July 23.

The following is how the 5.4 million statistic is explained in the report and put into context:

For comparison, the amount is more than double the current Twitch livestream record – and approaching the 2020 Primetime Emmys, which drew 6.1 million viewers throughout the United States last September, making it one of the year’s biggest livestream events. According to sources, the Donda listening party produced over 1.1 million t.

Regardless, Kanye has yet to release Donda, although the album is expected to be released within the next several weeks.