Diddy's music streams skyrocket after arrest and indictment

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs' The huge music catalog has seen a jump in streaming since its inception. Arrest last week and the unsealing of a Charges against him.

According to industry data and analytics firm Luminate, the mogul's music under his many musician names – including Diddy, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy – saw an average increase in on-demand streams of 18.3 percent during the week of his arrest compared to the previous week.

George Howard, a renowned professor of music management at Berklee College of Music, said he was not surprised by the increase. For him, streaming is something like a Google search for the artist to satisfy curiosity.

“Music just becomes another piece of information as people try to comprehend the atrocities,” Howard told the Associated Press. “It's like asking, 'What would the music of someone whose brain supposedly works like that sound like?'”

With Combs' numerous business ventures – from Revolt TV to Ciroc Vodkahe is no longer associated with either of them – Howard said that many people probably view Combs as a businessman rather than a musician.

“The natural curiosity that these kinds of allegations generate is understandable,” Howard said. “It's like driving past a car crash. People want to look.”

An increase in streaming numbers after controversies is not unusual. After a documentary about R.Kelly accused the R&B singer of sexually abusing women and underage girls, his Numbers almost doubled.

Howard said the “anonymization” of streaming was also a factor that may have led to the price increases for Combs and Kelly. “Imagine going into a record store right now and saying, 'Yeah, I want to buy that Diddy CD,'” he said.

Combs is charged with sex trafficking and organized crime. The indictment, which relates to allegations made in 2008, accuses him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “in order to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and cover up his conduct.” He is pleaded not guilty about the allegations.