Lou Reed Music Sales Soar In Wake Of Death

Lou Reed, the 71 year-old singer and musician who died last Sunday, has experienced a massive surge of interest to his music and has seen sales spike, sending his albums Transformer and Rock 'N' Roll Animal into the iTunes and Amazon top 25 charts.

Lou Reed's Death Prompted A Renewed Interest In His Music.

Reed's album catalogue sold 3,000 copies last Sunday (27th Oct.) alone, compared to fewer than 1,000 the previous week, which marks a tremendous an increase of 607 percent. Additionally, his solo digital song sales jumped from 2,000 to 17,000, a 590 percent rise, according to Nielsen SoundScan, via Rolling Stone.

Lou Reed and his music has famously failed to see great commercial success over the years, including low record sales and little radio airtime. "It's lamentable that someone as significant as he is has been so poorly represented on the radio," says Norm Winer, Chicago's WXRT's program director. Winer's station paid a special tribute to Reed last Monday, with his tracks played every hour or so with the odd B-side, rarity or live track thrown in.

Lou Reed With His Dog, Lucky.

Reed's death also saw his radio plays increase from 187 to 448, mainly represented on rock or alternative stations. Music chain Newbury Comics saw Reed and Velvet Underground sales spike slightly Sunday and Monday, with particular interest for vinyl, perhaps for the format's collectors value. "There's something there, but it's not like there's a mad rush," says Carl Mello, senior buyer for the music chain. "It's not Michael Jackson."

Despite the surge in interest, it is unlikely that the rise in sales will provoke the release of any new compilation, box sets, or 'Best Of' albums from Reed. However, the 3rd December will see a 45th-anniversary edition of the Velvet Underground's classic White Light White Heat, which Reed helped compile.

R.I.P. Lou Reed.

Mark Hudson, of music chain Trans World Entertainment revealed that his company struggled to meet the increase in demand of Reed's music that his death brought. He said, "It's a shame that people don't pay attention until something like this happens," adding "But, yeah, a very healthy increase."