Whitney Houston iTunes Price Hike Was a Mistake, Sony Says

Shortly after the death of Whitney Houston, fans the old over were rushing to iTunes to pick up some of the singer’s most popular tracks, but fans in Britain were met with a rather disturbing surprise: the price of two of her “Best Of” collections had been significantly increased.

The apparent price hike saw Houston’s “The Ultimate Collection” album increased from around $7.85 to $12.50, while Houston’s “Greatest Hits” album was increased from $12.50 to $15.67.

News of Sony’s suspiciously timed price hike spread like wildfire, and the company was blasted from all corners of the internet, with many calling Sony out for shamelessly taking advantage of Houston’s death. According to Sony, however, the price increase was a mistake.

“Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the U.K. iTunes store on Sunday,” Sony said in a statement. “When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused.”

Speaking off the record with the New York Times, two Sony executives echoed the company’s official statement. According to NYT’s report:

According to two executives at Sony Music, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, the price increase was the result of an error by a Sony employee in Britain, and that the company gave no orders for prices to be raised on Ms. Houston’s music.

The prices of both Whitney Houston albums are now back to their normal price.