Trying to keep up with the near daily storms of stream-of-consciousness tweets from Kanye West has become a full-time job in and of itself. However, a few dispatches caught our attention early Monday.
In a string of messages that ended with hashtag “all positive vibes” (three pound signs were added, we suppose, for extra emphasis), West offered a semi-startling revelation: He was done with compact discs.
“I was thinking about not making CDs ever again... Only streaming,” he wrote.
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West went on to say his 2013 album, “Yeezus,” was an “open casket to CDs.” The rapper famously released the disc without any artwork and the packaging only consisted of a clear jewel case with only a strip of red tape and the album’s sample credits listed behind the disc.
Certainly compact discs are seen by many as an outdated source. Carmakers have started phasing CD players out of new models as digital downloads and streams have outpaced sales of discs. Starbucks stopped selling CDs last year, and even though big-box stores such as Best Buy, Walmart and Target haven’t ditched them yet, the aisle real estate given to music (and DVDs for that matter) has noticeably shrunk over the last couple of years.
Artists have shifted, too. Acts such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future and countless others have rolled out digital-first album releases. Sometimes the projects were later pressed to compact discs -- and sometimes not.
Regardless of whether West sticks to the promise, his proclamation has only made us wonder when, if ever, his latest album, “The Life of Pablo,” will be officially released.
In the weeks since West previewed “The Life of Pablo” in a splashy yet chaotic listening party/fashion show for a sold-out crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the album has remained a key topic in the pop music conversation despite not being on sale yet.
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Kim Kardashian walks inside Armenian St. James Cathedral in Jerusalem with husband Kanye West, their daughter, North, and sister Khloe Kardashian.
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The celebrity couple baptized 22-month-old daughter North at a 12th century Armenian Apostolic church in Jerusalem.
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Kim Kardashian holds daughter North in her arms as she and Kanye West walk close to the Geghard Monastery in Armenia.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West visit the genocide memorial, which commemorates the 1915 mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, in Yerevan, Armenia.
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The fashion-forward couple attends the fall-winter 2015-16 ready-to-wear collection by Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week.
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The couple attends the Balenciaga show as part of Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 6, 2015. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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The rapper makes a face at photographers as the couple sits in the front row at Givenchy’s ready-to-wear collection collection during Paris Fashion Week.
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Jared Leto, who also debuted platinum blond hair the same day as Kardashian, Lewis Hamilton, Kanye West, designer Olivier Rousteing, and Kim Kardashian attend the Balmain aftershow dinner on March 5, 2015. (Jacopo Raule / Getty Images For Balmain)
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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, friends of designer Alber Elbaz, attend the Lanvin show during Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 5, 2015, in Paris. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Kardashian debuts her platinum blond dye job at the Balmain show in Paris on March 5, 2015. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Kardashian, West and her mother Kris Jenner attend the Balmain show in Paris on March 5, 2015. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Singer Beyonce, Kardashian, her daughter North and Vogue editor Anna Wintour attend West’s Adidas Originals x Kanye West “Yeezy Season 1” fashion show during New York Fashion Week Fall 2015 on Feb. 12, 2015.
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Kardashian and West pose with formidable Vogue editor and friend Anna Wintour, center, at the Adidas Originals x Kanye West fashion show on Feb. 12, 2015. (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for adidas)
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Kardashian and West are interviewed at the 57th Grammy Awards after party on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, during which West went on a tirade about Grammy-winner Beck and why he nearly interrupted his album of the year acceptance speech. (Colin Young-Wolff / AP)
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Kanye West smooches wife Kim Kardashian on the red carpet at the 57th Grammy Awards at Staples in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2015. He wears Balmain, she wears Jean Paul Gaultier. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian arrive at the Roc Nation Pre-Grammy brunch on Feb. 7, 2015, in Beverly Hills. (Valerie Macon / Getty Images)
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Grammy nominee Kanye West poses with wife Kim Kardashian, fellow nominees Beyonce and John Legend and Legend’s wife, model Chrissy Teigen, at the 57th Grammy Awards. (Larry Busacca / Getty Images for NARAS)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, both wearing Balmain, arrive on the red carpet at the BET Honors 2015 where the rapper received the Visionary Award. (Kevin Wolf / Invision / Associated Press)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the 2014 LACMA Art + Film gala in Los Angeles. Kim Kardashian is wearing a Cushnie et Ochs gown and a Cartier choker. (Jason Merritt / Getty Images for LACMA)
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Rapper Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, attend the 2014 LACMA Art + Film Gala honoring artist Barbara Kruger and director Quentin Tarantino on Nov. 1, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Valerie Macon / AFP / Getty Images)
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The couple watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. The Rockets won, 108-90. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, photographed separately, arrive at the Tao Nightclub at the Venetian Las Vegas to celebrate his Kardashian’s 34th birthday. (David Becker / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian, cradling daughter North, Kanye West and pianist Helene Mercier, wife of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, sit in the front row at the Givenchy show in Paris. It was the second time the couple had brought their daughter to a show at the spring/summer 2015 womenswear presentations. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrive at the presentation of Lanvin’s spring/summer 2015 ready-to-wear fashion collection at Paris Fashion Week. (Jacques Brinon / AP)
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The couple attends the Lanvin show during Paris Fashion Week. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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In Paris for Fashion Week. (Zacharie Scheurer / AP)
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The couple returns to Paris after wrapping West’s “Yeezus” tour in Australia to take in Paris Fashion week. Here, they arrive at the Balmain spring/summer 2015 ready-to-wear presentation in Paris just after Kim was jostled in a crowd and nearly took a tumble as she exited her car. (Zacharie Scheurer / AP)
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The couple attends the British GQ Men of the Year awards at the Royal Opera House on Sept. 2 in London. The reality star was named the magazine’s woman of the year and appeared in a nude photo spread for the magazine’s October issue. (Anthony Harvey / Getty Images)
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Kardashian West, in a Ralph & Russo gown, walks the red carpet with her husband at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards in London. “It’s Kim Kardashian West,” she said when she accepted her award. “I want to thank GQ for making me Woman of the Year, and my husband for making me feel like woman of the year every day.” (Anthony Harvey / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West spend some time shopping in Paris the Wednesday before their May 24 wedding. (Jacques Brinon / Associated Press)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West leave their residence in Paris on May 23, on the afternoon of the day before their wedding. (Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP / Getty Images)
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Kanye West appears to drop a hint to the crowd as he, Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner, left, leave the George V hotel in Paris with baby North West on their way to Valentino’s castle for brunch. (Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City. (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian wears a Lanvin gown to the 2014 Met Gala, which she attended with fiance Kanye West. (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian, left, and Kanye West attend the Hollywood Reporter’s celebration of power 100 women in entertainment breakfast on Dec. 11, 2013, in Beverly Hills. (Todd Williamson / Invision / Associated Press)
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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend DuJour Magazine’s event to honor artist Marc Quinn at Delano Beach Club on Dec. 4, 2013, in Miami Beach. (John Parra / Getty Images)
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The engaged couple attend DuJour Magazine’s event to honor artist Marc Quinn at Delano Beach Club on Dec. 4, 2013, in Miami Beach. (Eugene Gologursky / Getty Images for DuJour Magazine)
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The rapper and television personality arrive at the Tao Nightclub at the Venetian Las Vegas to celebrate Kim Kardashian’s 33rd birthday on Oct. 26, 2013. It was one of the couple’s first public appearances since their engagement. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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The “Yeezus” rapper popped the question to the reality star on Oct. 21, 2013 -- her 33rd birthday -- at AT&T Park in San Francisco with the help of a 50-piece orchestra, family, friends and a glowing 15-carat diamond engagement ring. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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Musician Kanye West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian at the Givenchy 2014 spring-summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show on Sept. 29, 2013, in Paris. (Pierre Andrieu / AFP / Getty Images)
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Actresses Noomi Rapace, Lily Collins, singer Ciara, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Givenchy show during Paris Fashion Week. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian, in her custom-designed Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci gown, and Kanye West at the Givenchy show. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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“Yeezus” rapper Kanye West and reality TV star Kim Kardashian attend the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013. (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013, in New York City. (Larry Busacca / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend Givenchy fall 2013 ready-to-wear show during Paris Fashion Week on March 3, 2013. (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the NBA game between the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Christmas Day 2012. Kardashian’s brother-in-law Lamar Odom played for the Clippers. (Victor Decolongon / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the NBA game between the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Dec. 25, 2012. (Victor Decolongon / Getty Images)
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Singer Kanye West, left, talks to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian before an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks in Miami. (Alan Diaz / Associated Press)
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Singer Kanye West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian attend a benefit in New York. (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)
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TV personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West attend the Louise Goldin spring 2013 show at Milk Studios on Sept. 12, 2012, in New York. (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West attend the Marchesa spring 2013 fashion show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, 2012. (Chelsea Lauren / Getty Images)
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Actress Sarah Hyland, left, model Tyra Banks, television personality Kim Kardashian, rapper Kanye West, actress Stacy Keibler and television personality Olivia Palermo attend the Marchesa show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, 2012. (Chelsea Lauren / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West leave the Valentino haute-couture show during Paris Fashion Week at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on July 4, 2012. (Julien M. Hekimian / Getty Images)
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Singer Beyonce, rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West and television personality Kim Kardashian attend the 2012 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images For BET)
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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the 2012 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images)
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Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West attend the 2012 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on July 1, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images For BET)
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Singer Kanye West and his girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, arrive for the screening of “Cruel Summer” at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2012. (Francois Mori / Associated Press)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Lakers-Denver Nuggets game on May 12, 2012, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Noel Vasquez / Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West talk in their courtside seats before the Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets on May 12, 2012, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Noel Vasquez / Getty Images)
As of now, an unfinished version of the 18-track album is streaming on Tidal. West has said he never intends to release the album to Apple, although there was a New York Times report that talks were ongoing about a deluxe physical release of the record that now seems unlikely given West’s latest tweet blast.
Regardless of how the album is finally released, more than 500,000 people have already downloaded pirated versions of “The Life of Pablo” since it popped up on Tidal, according to TorrentFreak.com. Even if West has declared the CD dead, piracy will continue to live on.
gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com
For more music news, follow me on Twitter: @gerrickkennedy
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