In the 11 months since Cassie accused Sean Combs of sexual assault and years of physical abuse, the mogul’s music career has largely unraveled. His songs have disappeared from radio playlists, he has become a pariah at the Grammy Awards, and his business ventures—ranging from stakes in a media network to a liquor brand—have suffered significant declines. Amidst at least 17 additional lawsuits alleging misconduct and a recent indictment on federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, Combs has pleaded not guilty and is currently appealing his detention in a Brooklyn jail.
Despite this tumult, one aspect of Combs’s music business has shown resilience: the popularity of his songs on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. As negative stories about him proliferated—such as federal raids on his homes and the release of a security camera video showing him assaulting Cassie in 2016—the number of his followers on Spotify increased from approximately 1.5 million late last year to 1.8 million, a 15 percent rise, according to Chartmetric.
Moreover, streaming numbers for Combs’s catalog surged dramatically. In the week leading up to his September 16 arrest
Streaming Resilience Amid Legal Troubles: The Cases of Sean Combs and R. Kelly
