Morgan Wallen saw an increase in album sales after a video of him saying that racial defamation spread online earlier this week.
The country star has faced severe consequences since the clip appeared, with his record label Big Loud setting it aside and radio stations removing its music from their playlists.
Despite this, sales of their albums increased within 24 hours of the video’s initial release. According to MRC Data, Wallen sold 22,500 copies of his albums in the United States on February 3 – an increase of 339% over the previous day.
The musician’s latest album, Dangerous: The Double Album, sold 7,000 copies on the same day, giving him a 511 percent increase in the 1,000 copies sold on February 2.
In contrast, the data shows a large decrease in Wallen’s airplay on radio stations in the United States. On February 3, his music was played 71 percent less than in the previous 24 hours.
The video that caused Wallen to fall was filmed by one of his neighbors and saw the star saying to someone, “Take care of that asshole.”
“I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slander that I wish I could remove,” said Wallen in an apology. “There is no excuse for using this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologize for using that word. I promise to do better. “
Big Loud, a Republic brand, said in a statement that it suspended Wallen’s contract “indefinitely”. “Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees that such behavior will not be tolerated,” they said.
Wallen sparked controversy last year, when it was filmed breaking coronavirus regulations by separating from fans without wearing a mask. His planned appearance in Saturday Night Live was pulled at the last minute because of his actions, although he was invited to the show at the end of the year.