(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)
