Stem Player

The Stem Player is an audio remix device and music streaming platform developed by British technology company Kano Computing in collaboration with American artist Kanye West. The device was launched in August 2021 in conjunction with the release of West's 10th studio album Donda.[1]

Stem Player
Also known asDonda Stem Player
Developer
TypeDigital media player
Release date2021
Introductory priceUS$200
Storage8 GB
Connectivity
Websitestemplayer.com

The Stem Player has four touch-sensitive haptic sliders that adjust individual stems for tracks, and six hardware buttons for volume and effects. The device's service uses artificial neural networks[2] to split tracks into four stems (sometimes isolated vocals, bass, and drums) with each track being able to be manipulated using a front slider.[3] Users can add tracks to the device by uploading an audio file to the device through an official online web application.

In February 2022, West made an announcement that he would begin releasing music exclusively to the device, commencing with Donda 2 that month.[4]

History

In January 2019, following an encounter within the company's booth at CES Technology Show in Las Vegas, West invested an undisclosed sum in Kano.[5] In a 2019 interview with journalist Zane Lowe for Apple Music, West confirmed he was working on developing a portable stem player.[6]

The Stem Player collaboration process spanned a two-year period. Inspiration for the device's design and colour scheme came during a visit to the Roden Crater with James Turrell. Prototype designs were said to be shaped like a hand, stress ball, and orb before the circular silicone design was adopted.[7]

On 25 August 2021, the Stem Player launched for pre-sale with the initial name of "Donda Stem Player".[8] The device began shipping to purchasers in October that year, pre-loaded with three tracks not available on streaming platforms, including "Life of the Party" and other remixes that appeared on the Donda album.[9]

As of February 2022, there are thirty nine total tracks available on Stem Player, twelve of which are from Donda 2.[10]

Service

The Stem Player mainly features a service that splits chosen songs into stems that can then be freely customized and manipulated using the device's touch-sensitive sliders and buttons;[11] emulated versions of the service were widely circulated online in early 2022 following criticism of the Stem Player's expenses.[12] It features controls for vocal isolation and volume control, real time loop and speed controls, tactile audio effects, audio track management, recording of mixes and recording playback.

The Stem Player is a beige, circular device, measuring 7 centimetres in diameter. 4 touch-sensitive LED sliders cover the front of the device. Physical specifications include 8GB of storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, support for Bluetooth, USB-C, and all major audio file types.[13] The device initially came pre-loaded with stems of the deluxe edition of West's Donda album.[14]

Upon release, the device only appeared in one tan colour. Since January 2022, a number of official images have been released showing black and translucent skins with no official release date specified.[15]

Reception

Upon initial release, the Stem Player was met with a positive reception with many critics praising the device for its unique and innovative design as well as its ease of use and AI based technology. In a review for online publication The Verge, Jay Peters found that "for someone who likes to make their own music, the Stem Player could be a mind-blowingly awesome tool."[16] Jordan Minor of PCMag said "the Donda Stem Player is an imaginative and surprisingly flexible music creation tool".[17] Terence O' Brien of Engadget called the device "fascinating and unique".[18]

Criticism of the device was mainly relayed on the lack of wireless file downloading, limited storage space and the omission of a navigation screen, as well as low transfer speeds. Later on, in early March 2022, there was a system implemented to wirelessly stream Stem Player Exclusives after providing proof of purchase on stemplayer.com.[19]

West received criticism following the announcement of his exclusive music releases on the platform, with many fans expressing concern and uncertainty that they would not be able to listen to the latest release as a result.[20] Corey Taylor of Slipknot criticized West for the decision due to the price: "People can't afford their apartments, for fuсk's sake."[21] This resulted in an emulator of the device being developed that people have used as an alternative to buying the device.[22]

References
  1. Stutz, Colin (2022-03-05). "With 'Donda 2' Stem Player Release, Kanye West Skips Streamers — And the Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. "Kanye Fans Wrote a Stem Player Emulator to Pirate 'Donda 2'". Digital Music News. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  3. "From Stem Players to NFTs, Artists Are Getting Creative With New Music Releases". HYPEBEAST. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  4. "Kanye West's new album Donda 2 will be only be available exclusively on his own platform the Stem Player" – via www.news.sky.com.
  5. Margolis, Jonathan. "Start-ups can benefit from moneyed tech enthusiasts as patrons" – via www.ft.com.
  6. Kaye, Ben (October 24, 2019). "Here's everything Kanye West said in his interview with Zane Lowe". Consequence.net. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  7. Setaro, Shawn. "How a Tech CEO Ended Up Writing Lyrics on Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King'". Complex.
  8. Strauss, Matthew. "Kanye West Launches Donda Stem Player". Pitchfork.
  9. Jones, Damian. "Kanye West's "DONDA" stem player has finally been unveiled and comes with three extra songs". Pitchfork.
  10. "Kanye West adds 12 more 'Donda 2' songs to Stem Player". NME. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  11. "Kanye West's new Donda Stem Player will apparently let you 'customize any song'". The Verge.
  12. "Kanye Fans Create Stem Player Emulator to Listen to 'DONDA 2'". HYPEBEAST. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  13. "Kanye West's "DONDA" stem player has finally been unveiled and comes with three extra songs". NME.
  14. "Kanye West DONDA stem player: What is it, price, where to buy & more". capitalxtra.co.uk.
  15. Hamilton, Jack (2022-03-02). "I Listened to Kanye's New Album on His $200 Music Player, and My God". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  16. Peters, Jay. "Ye's Stem Player Has Soft Skin and All of the Lights". The Verge.
  17. Minor, Jordan. "Donda Stem Player review". PCMag.
  18. O'Brien, Terence. "I wish anyone other than Kanye had made the Stem Player". Engadget.
  19. Minor, Jordan. "Donda Stem Player review". PCMag.
  20. Soteriou, Stephanie. "If You Want To Listen To Kanye West's New Album "Donda 2," You Have To Buy A $200 Stem Player And Fans Are Just As Angry As You'd Imagine". Buzzfeed News.
  21. "Corey Taylor brands Kanye West a "fucking moron" for making 'DONDA 2' exclusive to Stem Player". NME. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  22. "Kanye Fans Create Stem Player Emulator to Listen to 'DONDA 2'". HYPEBEAST. 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
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