The songs of controversial American rapper and music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs has seen a jump in streams following his recent arrest and string of sex crime charges levelled against him.
According to the Associated Press, industry data and analytics company Luminate said the music of the artiste, known by many monikers like Diddy, Puff Daddy and P Diddy, saw an average 18.3 per cent increase in on-demand streams during the week of his Sept 17 arrest compared to the previous week.
George Howard, a professor of music business management at Berklee College of Music, said he was not surprised by the jump in numbers.
He likened the matter to a Google search of the artiste as a means of satisfying curiosity.
"Music just becomes another piece of information as people try to comprehend the atrocities.
"It's like, 'What would someone whose brain works like that, allegedly, what would their music sound like?'," he said.
Howard added that many people probably think of Combs, who is also a successful entrepreneur and business owner, as a businessman before they think of him as a musician.
"The natural curiosity that these types of charges evoke makes sense. It's like driving by a car crash. People want to look," he said.
Controversies that lead to a spike in streaming numbers are not an unusual occurrence.
After a documentary about R Kelly accused the R&B singer of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls, his numbers nearly doubled.
Howard added that the "anonymisation" of streaming could also have led to the increases for these controversial artistes.
"Imagine walking into a record store now like, 'Yeah, I want to buy this Diddy CD,'" he said.
Combs is charged with federal sex trafficking and racketeering and the indictment, which details allegations dating back to 2008, accuses him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years "to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct".
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.