Showing posts with label Death?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death?. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Did Sony Try to Cash In on Whitney Houston's Death? Label Apologizes for Pricing "Mistake"

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Whitney Houston Kevin Winter/Getty Images

It's time for some damage control.

Sony has issued an apology to U.K. fans after it jacked up the price of two Whitney Houston albums by an astounding 60 percent Saturday night, in the immediate aftermath of the singer's death.

Naturally, it wasn't long before outraged fans took the label to task for what seemed to be a greedy attempt to capitalize on her passing. Or was it all just an innocent accident?

At the very least, it was a major PR blunder, though the label has since broken its silence on the perceived cash grab. Turns out...

MORE: Whitney Houston death probe: doctors, medical records sought

According to Sony, the gouging, ill-timed price hike was not intentional.

"Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the U.K. iTunes store on Sunday," the label said in a statement. "When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused."

Adding to what the label is dismissing as simply a coincidence (albeit an eyebrow-raising one) is the fact that the two albums struck by the pricing mishap, Ultimate Collection and Greatest Hits, were Houston's compilation discs, the two most likely to be purchased by nostalgic, mourning or just curious fans.

MORE: Bill O'Reilly: "Whitney Houston wanted to kill herself"

Ultimate Collection jumped in price a whopping 60 percent above its regular list price (from $7.85 to $12.50), while the Greatest Hits album saw a 25 percent increase in its cost (from $12.50 to $15.67).

A source at the label further sought to distance the record company from the blame of the incident, telling the New York Times that the price hike was down to an error made by one of its British employees. However, Britain's Guardian claims the decision was made after execs decided—after Whitney's death—that the wholesale price it currently listed for her Ultimate Collection album was wrong, and that the change in wholesale price resulted in the retail price increasing.

Still, while the cost no doubt smarted and irked online consumers, it certainly didn't seem to deter them: sales of Houston's albums have skyrocketed in the days since her death, as six of her titles are currently in the Billboard top 20 album charts stateside. In the U.K., just one day after the pricing gaffe, both of the two albums in question had made it into the top three of the iTunes album chart.

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PHOTOS: Whitney Houston: Great Performances

Whitney Houston, How Will I Know? Whitney Houston, GREATEST LOVE OF ALL Whitney Houston, Silver Spoons Whitney Houston, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) Whitney Houston Tweet17 Commentsfiled undertop stories,Music,whitney houston,album,apologies,deathEditor's PicksAdeleRevealed?Revealed?Adele's "Deep" DudeSofia VergaraHot PhotosLeighton MeesterFashion Police17 CommentsShow the next 1 - 0 of 17 commentsNow loading...Add Your Comment!Guests

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Who Does Chaka Khan Blame for Whitney Houston's Death?

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Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan Michael Buckner/Getty Images; Stratracksphoto.com

The tragedy of losing a legendary superstar is still hard to accept, and for Chaka Khan it's no different. But the singer-songwriter who called Whitney Houston her "little sister," revealed on Piers Morgan Tonight that she thinks Houston's death could have been prevented.

Piers Morgan brought up the point of Houston, who was a "well-documented addict" being seen in public drinking alcohol during her last days of life, which led Chaka Khan to state, in her opinion, who was to blame.

MORE: Whitney Houston's Body Arrives in New Jersey as Family Plans Funeral

A recovered addict herself, the "I'm Every Woman" singer explained how she would never arrive for a performance a week before the scheduled date, like Houston did. And since Whitney did, Khan noted, someone should have been there to supervise.

"I stand on, whoever flew her out to perform at that party, should have provided someone to be there," she said, "To somehow, keep the riff-raff out of the situation. To keep the dangerous people away."

Khan also shared Sharon Osbourne's sentiments of confusion and disapproval concerning Clive Davis' decision to move forward with his Grammy party after Houston's death, and described how the music industry can become a bad influence on stars.

"I think we all, as artists, because we're highly sensitive people, and this machine around us, this so-called 'music industry,' is such a demonic thing. It's sacrifices people's lives and their essences at the drop of a dime...I had a manager once say to me, ' You know you're worth more money dead than alive.'

"I mean, I've cried for her, a lot over the years, so many times," the singer said. "In a way I've mourned her, because I felt something was gonna happen because she was so close to the wire."

Investigators for the Los Angeles County coroner removed Houston's corpse from the premises of the Beverly Hills Hilton late Saturday night to perforrm an autopsy. Official results, including a cause of death, have not been disclosed and are pending the outcome of toxicology tests.

GALLERY: Whitney Houston: Great Performances

Whitney Houston, How Will I Know? Whitney Houston, GREATEST LOVE OF ALL Whitney Houston, Silver Spoons Whitney Houston, I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) Whitney Houston Tweet77 Commentsfiled underdrugs,top stories,whitney houston,death,chaka khanEditor's PicksWhitney HoustonAll the LatestAll the LatestWhitney Houston RIPCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate MiddletonHot PhotosKevin Bacon, Kyra SedgwickT-town's Great LovesT-town's Great LovesValentine's Day77 CommentsShow the next 1 - 0 of 77 commentsNow loading...Add Your Comment!Guests

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