NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs’ vast music catalog has seen a jump in streams since his arrest last week and the unsealing of an indictment against him.
Under his many musical monikers — including Diddy, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy — the industry data and analytics company 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 prior week.
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George Howard, a distinguished professor of music business management at Berklee College of Music, said he's not surprised by the increase. To him, streaming is akin to a Google search of the artist as a means of satisfying curiosity.
“Music just becomes another piece of information as people try to comprehend the atrocities,” Howard told The Associated Press. “It’s like, ‘What would someone whose brain works like that, allegedly, what would their music sound like?’”
With Combs' several business ventures — from Revolt TV to Ciroc vodka, both of which he's no longer affiliated with — Howard said many people likely think of Combs as a businessman before they think of him as a musician.
“The natural curiosity that these types of charges evoke makes sense,” Howard said. “It’s like driving by a car crash. People want to look.”
An increase in streaming numbers following controversy is not uncommon. After a documentary about R. Kelly accused the R&B singer of sexual misconduct 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 Combs and Kelly alike. “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 racketeering and the indictment, which details allegations dating back to 2008, accuses him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” He's pleaded not guilty to the charges.