David Bowie music skyrockets 2700% on Spotify, leaps to number 1 on iTunes
Grieving David Bowie fans flocked to Spotify and iTunes to pay tribute to the star Monday, causing the late rocker's play counts and sales to soar on both platforms.
The iconic singer, who had just released a new album on Friday, his birthday, died Sunday after an 18-month-long battle with cancer.
SEE ALSO: 15 unforgettable David Bowie appearances from TV and film
Spotify reported that plays of Bowie's back catalogue jumped a whopping 2700% after news of his death broke globally. At the time of writing, his most streamed songs include the ballad "Heroes," Queen collaboration "Under Pressure," the smash-hit "Space Oddity" and "Let's Dance," according to Spotify.
Meanwhile, on iTunes, fans celebrated Bowie's musical achievements by purchasing the rocker's new album, Blackstar, causing it to skyrocket to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Store's chart. At time of writing, the rocker's greatest hits album, Best of Bowie, had jumped to No. 2, while The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars sits comfortably within the top five at number four. All told, Bowie had five albums in the iTunes top 10 and 11 in the top 20.
A slew of Bowie's songs also populated the Top 100 singles chart, while fan-favorite movie Labyrinth — in which the singer played the Goblin King — hit number 24 on the Top Movies chart.
Bowie was one of the most influential singers of his generation, having released 25 albums and traveled through multiple different personas since his preternatural rise to fame in the early 1970s. His last album was a "parting gift" to fans, according to Blackstar's producer Tony Visconti.
"His death was no different from his life — a work of Art," Visconti wrote in a Facebook post. "He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift."
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
