Whilst I was in Memphis I became a reporter for The Daily Helmsman newspaper for one semester. The University print newspaper had daily editions in both digital and print formats distributed across the city.
The Daily Helmsman
The Daily Helmsman
Living after death, music in the afterlife
By Luke Chapman
The tragic death of Aretha Franklin in the past weeks has lead to a multitude of her albums achieving further chart success. In the penultimate week of August, three of Franklin’s albums reached the British top 40. Furthering this, in the US, her 1985 album “30 Greatest Hits” gained a 49% increase in sales three weeks beyond her passing date. This highlights how the records continuously sold over two weeks beyond her death. The surge of sales then allowed her to posthumously achieve her highest charting album in 50 years. Franklin isn’t the only star to be honoured with post death success, copious numbers of artists have achieved higher levels of fame after their passing. But why is it that we choose to support artists in an exponential way a little too late?
The news of singers deaths seem to come far too often, bracing our televisions with the breaking news broadcasts. The beloved chart toppers and global icons deservedly reach everyones living rooms soon enough, they managed to touch millions of hearts with their soulful sounds so their passing will equally affect millions across the world. Cue Viola Beach. Viola Beach were a young British band with ties to BBC Introducing, they guys were endowed with talent, however their success wasn’t quite reaching the stars yet (they were only in the early stages of their careers). A horrific crash near Stockholm lead to the heartbreaking deaths of all four members of the band, along with their manager. The following day, news reached every outlet across the UK, the band had found fame. Just too late. Public campaigns began to get their latest single to number one, along with the bid to achieve success for the rest of their catalogue. They reached number 50, and number 11 with their two singles, and their debut album which was released after the accident, reached the number one spot. This accolade allowed the band to be defined by their incredible music, not just their deaths. But why did it take their death to gain them stardom, and why was a small band just starting out plastered across the UK media? The news was most likely broadcasted due to the shocking and unfortunate nature of the incident. Wether they were artists or not, the accident was harrowing, and was something the public should be aware of. Was it down to the kind nature of the British public who then took it upon themselves to allow the boys an achievement they had wanted their whole lives? Or was it simply that the news allowed the bands name to reach a wider audience? Prime time airplay ensued for the boys which simply meant that more and more people were introduced to their music, in turn creating more sales. The talented band were always bound for stardom, it was just heart wrenchingly too late for the lads to be given this sombre platform they had deserved years before.
David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Chester Bennington and Avicii (among others) are all artists who have sadly passed in the last few years. Each of these icons have one thing in common, increased record sales after their death. But are there definitive reasons as to why sales exponentially take off? Streaming services recored a 7000% increase in Linkin Park’s music streams one day after Chester took his own life. When Rock artist Chuck Berry passed at the age of 90, his album sales and streams took off in extreme fashion. Considering his last album was released forty years prior to his death, thats quite a notable example of beyond the grave sales. To me its clear there is a set pattern that, no matter the circumstances, a death will increase sales of an artist, but why? A 2014 Study concluded that on average, the death of an artist will lead to a 54.1% increase in sales, which is mainly owed to two factors. The first is that the news of a death simply acts as informational advertising for an artists. A consumer can learn about a singers lifespan, their career and their music in one place. This also carries across the information on products which consumers were not previously aware of, its one of the best forms of advertisement sadly. In another sense, with the passing of someone, it means a listener can finally own their entire catalogue without needing the further release of new music. Secondly, and the kicker of this subject, is that sales increase because people are reminded of their own mortality. The death of a celebrity essentially reminds people that they are also going to die one day, therefore people subconsciously take the opportunity to listen to the music they love in a bid to enjoy the rest of their life. Tragic but true.
The dawn of the streaming service has also had a huge impact on the rise in sales. If fans own a CD or Vinyl of their favourite singer who had passed, replaying this hard copy would not gain any sales as no further money has passed hands. But the same person who uses Spotify and listens to the same album will have contributed to sales figures, therefore adding money towards the deceased’s estate, thus advancing their record sales.
Death is an awful occurrence. No matter what. So maybe the public like to try and change this fact by providing financial benefits and accoladed honours to the recently gone. In one sense its creating a silver lining, and a further honour for those who we have lost. It evidently also acts as a wake up call of mortality to the public, we aren’t all here forever, so we should take inspiration from those who are no longer here. So go out there, listen to your favourite music, dance away, enjoy those cherished moments and do what you’ve always wanted. Thank those that have given us their intangible talent and utilise it to allow us to lead happier lives. I personally cant think of any other way to bestow honour upon our favourite icons, and allow their memory to remain with us forever.
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