Kanye Donna Summer infringement complaint

Photo Credit: Francesco Scavullo / Casablanca Records

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s new track, “Good (Don’t Die),’”is no longer on Spotify following claims from the estate of Donna Summer that the song used an edited sample of Summer’s music without permission.

The track from Kanye and Ty’s joint album, Vultures Volume 1, seems to have been removed from Spotify four days after its release, following claims from Donna Summer’s estate that an edited interpolation of the late diva’s 1977 hit, “I Feel Love,” was used in the track without permission. As of this reporting, the song remains available on other streaming platforms, including Apple Music and YouTube, but appears greyed out on the album’s track list on Spotify.

“Kanye West […] asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song, ‘I Feel Love,’” wrote a representative for Summer’s estate on Instagram Stories. “He was denied. […] He changed the words, had someone re-sing it or used AI, but it’s ‘I Feel Love’… copyright infringement!”

Despite the claims from the Summer estate, it’s not yet clear if the track was removed from Spotify following a formal copyright complaint, or if another party was involved. It’s also unclear if the song will soon be removed from other streaming platforms.

This is far from the first time Ye and Ty’s collaborative album has encountered clearance issues. The LP has been delayed several times now, originally meant to include a song featuring Nicki Minaj, and a track that samples a hit from The Backstreet Boys — neither party agreed to clear their work for use.

Even the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, expressed outrage that Ye had used an unauthorized Black Sabbath sample in a preview of the Vultures album during a listening event:

“[Kanye West] asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘Iron Man’ from the US festival without vocals and was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many,” wrote Osbourne on social media. “He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party. […] I want no association with this man!”

In spite of the backlash, Vultures Volume 1 is reportedly set to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, due to 140,000 album-equivalent unit sales in its first week, marking Ty Dolla $ign’s first No. 1 album, and Kanye’s 11th.