Sony Raises Price On Whitney Houston’s Hits Just Hours After Her Death
(UPDATED) Sony Music sparked a major controversy after the company raised prices of a Whitney Houston album on iTunes within hours of the singer’s death being announced. According to a report in The Guardian, the wholesale price of Houston's greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection was increased in the wee hours of Sunday, leading Apple to bump the price of the album up on their digital music store.
While the price increase was seen by some observers as a cynical ploy, particularly in light of increased posthumous record sales from singers such as Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, a source close to the matter told The Guardian that such wasn't the case here.
According to the unnamed inside, the singer's death prompted a review of her catalog and at that time, it was noted that the price for the album was incorrectly listed with the price increase on iTunes reflecting the actual cost of the album.
The Ultimate Collection was among the top three albums on iTunes on Monday. Reps from Sony and Apple declined to offer official comment on the matter. (CelebrityAccess)
The music industry is run by fucking scumbags.
The body was not even cold yet – Shame on you: The murderers of the Voice – the ignorant voice teachers, ‘throat doctors who profess to know the voice, Institutions who teach it, the record producers who have no clue about voices, the JUDGES!!!! the “Idols of the world” – what kills is the ignorance, money, the fame for all it’s worth ultimately, the lack of integriy in the ‘business of music’ in all phases–pop or classical – it’s all the same. Who will stand up and stop this insanity – WILL YOU???
In other words, Whitney Houston’s body of work wasn’t significant enough for Sony to review the pricing of her music until after her death? That doesn’t make sense. Frankly, it’s not believable. Sony is using this ploy as a way to excuse themselves for appearing to be cold and cash greedy. Sony doesn’t appear to be that way…they are that way.
Somebody is not doing their job, with all that music that they supervise, they don’t have able bodied people to check prices the right way? They wait and see what kind of money they can make upon someone’s death and then throw in an extra price because they never fixed it the first time…smh.
Why do they (Sony) think we are stupid. The sad part about it is most, if not, all of the money being made will go to Sony, NOT Whitney Houston”s estate.