David Bowie album streams, sales skyrocket following musician's death

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David Bowie
(Image credit: RALPH GATTI/AFP/Getty Images)

Streams and sales of David Bowie's music have skyrocketed since the musician passed away on Sunday following an 18-month battle with cancer. Since his death, streaming service Spotify reported that plays of Bowie's music were up 2,700 percent with The New York Times' Upshot blog finding that "Heroes," "Let's Dance," and "Life on Mars?" were among the most streamed tracks.

Additionally, Bowie's newest album, Blackstar, was released on Friday and has already reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. iTunes chart; it is also heading toward the top spot on the Billboard 200, which would make it Bowie's first No. 1 record in his six-decade career.

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.