NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ massive music catalog has seen a jump in streams since his arrest last week and the dismissal of charges against him.
Under his many musical monikers — including Diddy, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy — industry data and analytics firm Luminate said the mogul’s music saw an average 18.3% increase in on-demand streams during the week of his arrest compared to the previous week.
George Howard, a distinguished professor of music business management at Berklee College of Music, said he is not surprised by the increase. For him, streaming is akin to a Google search of the artist as a way to satisfy curiosity.
“Music just becomes another piece of information as people try to make sense of the atrocities,” Howard told the Associated Press. “It’s like, ‘What would somebody whose brain works like that, allegedly, what would their music sound like?’
With Combs’ multiple business ventures — from Revolt TV to Ciroc vodka, both of which he’s no longer affiliated with — Howard said a lot of people probably think of Combs as a businessman before they think of him as a musician.
“The natural curiosity that these types of charges generate makes sense,” Howard said. “It’s like driving past a car accident. People want to watch.”
An increase in streaming numbers after controversy is not unusual. After a documentary about R. Kelly accused the R&B singer of sexual assault involving women and underage girls, his numbers nearly doubled.
Howard said the “anonymization” of streaming is also a factor that could have led to the increases for both Combs and Kelly. “Imagine walking into a record store now like, ‘Yeah, I want to buy this Diddy CD,'” he said.
Combs is charged with federal sex trafficking and extortion, and the indictment, which contains allegations dating back to 2008, accuses him of assaulting, threatening and coercing women for years “in order to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his behavior.” He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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