The country singer died at his Georgia home on March 20.
Following the death of country music icon Kenny Rogers on Friday, March 20, fans flocked to various streaming and sales outlets to pay tribute to the singer.
On-demand U.S. streams of Rogers’ catalog of songs, which spans nearly eight decades, surged 1,687% on March 21 and 22 (versus the two previous days), according to initial reports to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. News of Rogers’ death was announced March 21.
Rogers’ music logged 18 million streams on March 21 and 22, up from 1 million on March 19 and 20 — a gain of 1,687%.
Rogers’ albums and songs catalog also saw significant gains. Sales of Rogers’ albums surged 7,709% to 15,000 copies sold, according to initial reports. The singer sold 15,000 copies on March 21, 22 and 23, up from a negligible figure on March 18, 19 and 20.
Concurrently, Rogers saw an 11,163 % increase for digital downloads of his songs from March 18, 19 and 20 to March 21, 22 and 23 with 82,000 downloads sold (up from 1,000).
Rogers’ single “The Gambler” specifically saw a sizable gains. The track gained 12,671% in digital song sales to 13,000 sold (up from a negligible figure) and gained 1,377% in total on-demand U.S. streams to 3.7 million (up from 253,000).
His former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song “Islands In the Stream,” with Dolly Parton, also saw notable gains. The song gained 9,769 % in digital song sales to 12,000 sold (up from a negligible figure) and gained 720% in total on-demand U.S. streams to 1.6 million (up from 200,000).
The gains are sure to translate into movement for Rogers’ catalog on the Billboard charts dated April 4. Industry forecasters even suggest that Rogers’ 2018 greatest hits album The Best of Kenny Rogers: Through the Years could earn over 25,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 26, which could be enough to debut at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, marking Rogers’ first No. 1 on the list since 1985’s The Heart of the Matter. So far, Rogers has tallied 12 No. 1s on the list to date.
The set could also bow in the top 20 of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Rogers was last in the top 20 with 2006’s Water & Bridges (peaking at No. 14). If Through the Years opens in the top 10, it would mark Rogers’ first top 10 effort since 1983’s No. 6-peaking Eyes That See in the Dark.
Rogers died on March 20 under hospice care in his Sandy Springs, Georgia home of natural causes.