America is still reeling from the tragedy at Astroworld. A crush at the music festival claimed the lives of 10 and counting. Its headliner and creator Travis Scott has become public enemy #1, with many doubting his claims of ignorance. Has the tragedy hurt his album sales at all? Let’s take a look.
What Is Cancellation?
It’s almost an impossible question: to what degree should Scott be held responsible for the deaths at his concert? Scott’s long had a reputation for “raging” at his concerts, once convincing a concertgoer to jump off a balcony for his amusement. Whether or not he could have prevented the crush once it started is impossible to answer though. The fact remains that he didn’t do much, and people died.
How will this affect him? He’s cried on social media and made a statement expressing his cooperation with the police. The Kardashians are standing by him as well, and it remains to be seen if and when he’ll go back on tour.
How Are His Sales?
The loss of human life is far more important than any album sales Scott’s been capable of. That being said, album sales are an excellent litmus test. If sales are high, then perhaps Scott isn’t going away any time soon.
Judging by his album sales, Scott doesn’t need to worry about going broke. In the wake of this horrific tragedy, Scott’s album sales soar. His critically acclaimed 2018 album Astrowrold bounced from number 50 on the Billboard 200 up to 38. It also accrued 17 million streams since the date of the festival. Part of this boom could be due to the new music he released to coincide with the festival.
What Does Cancellation Look Like?
The increased album sales are a reminder that consequence culture or cancel culture is not a simple thing. Despite outcry from critics and fans, Scott’s streaming numbers and sales continue to rise. It’s reminiscent of when Morgan Wallen was removed from SNL over racist remarks, but his albums are still chart-toppers. DaBaby is actively trying to claw back into the spotlight after some homophobic remarks. Nothing is forever, nor is it as simple as it seems.
By all accounts, Scott is grieving the deaths on his own. He reportedly hasn’t left this house since the incident and has pulled out of other festivals. Only time will tell what kind of fallout awaits Scott in the next few months.