Morgan Wallen’s sales and streams spike after video of artist using racial slur is leaked

Surge in sales have occured despite Wallen's recent removal from radio playlists in the US

Morgan Wallen is seeing a spike in album sales and streams despite facing professional repercussions after a video was leaked in which the musician is heard shouting a racial slur.

In light of the clip – which was released on 2 February and shows Wallen using the N-word twice – the country music star was swiftly removed from radio playlists in the US.

According to data published by Billboard, his radio airplay across US genres fell from 2,100 plays on Tuesday (2 February – when the video was released) to 617 plays by Wednesday (3 February), marking an approximate 70 per cent drop.

In spite of this sharp decline in radio airplay, Billboard reports that Wallen’s music surged in sales on the day after the video was leaked.

His catalogue of albums and songs sold a combined 22,500 copies in the US on 3 February, an increase of 339 per cent compared to sales on 2 February. 

Morgan Wallen (Rex Features)

Wallen’s latest album Dangerous: The Double Album sold just under 7,000 copies on 3 February, which is a 511 per cent on the 1,000 copies sold on 2 February.

According to USA Today, the singer’s position on Spotify’s top streaming charts has also seen an uptick following the incident, with his songs rising on the application’s top US streaming charts. 

On Tuesday, “Wasted On You” sat at number 14 on Spotify’s Top 200 chart, however, in the wake of the video’s release, the track jumped to number 9 by Thursday. 

Read more: Morgan Wallen dropped by agency after racial slur controversey

The publication notes that R Kelly experienced a similar spike in streams following the 2019 release of Surviving R Kelly, a documentary that explored the sexual and physical abuse allegations that have been made against the musician. 

The video of Wallen in question sees the country music star returning from a night out with friends when he yelled the N-word at a friend twice. 

The slurs were caught on a video, which was reportedly filmed by neighbours who were annoyed at the late-night disturbance, and shared by TMZ. 

People Morgan Wallen (Sanford Myers)

In addition to his removal from radio playlists in the US, Wallen’s label Big Loud Records has suspended his contract indefinitely and the Academy of Country Music Awards has revoked his eligibility for this year’s ceremony. 

On Friday (5 February), it was reported that William Morris Agency has also dropped him from its roster of clients. 

Wallen has since issued an apology for his remarks, stating that he is “embarrassed and sorry”. 

“I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said. “There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever. I want to sincerely apologise for using the word. I promise to do better.”