Sean “Diddy” Combs’ radio airplay has plummeted by 86% in 2024 compared to the previous year, a decline attributed to a series of sexual misconduct allegations, federal investigations, and his ongoing sex trafficking trial, according to a Billboard report.
The sharp drop reflects radio programmers’ reluctance to play his music as controversies mount, with the trial, which began with jury selection on Monday, intensifying scrutiny.
Radio Spin Decline: In the first quarter of 2023, before major allegations surfaced, Diddy’s music catalog (including solo recordings under names like Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy) received 800–1,000 weekly spins on U.S. radio.
By mid-2024, following key events like the November 2023 lawsuit from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and March 2024 federal raids on his homes, spins fell significantly.
After Cassie’s lawsuit (filed November 16, 2023), spins dropped 28% in the two weeks from November 17–30, 2023 (from 11,000 to 8,000).
The most drastic single-week drop occurred between November 24–30 and December 1–7, 2023, with a 41% plunge (3,000 to 2,000 spins) after additional lawsuits on November 23, 2023, accused Diddy of sexual assault.
By May 2024, when CNN aired a 2016 video of Diddy assaulting Cassie, weekly spins fell to 352—a 94% decline from November 2023.
In the March 15–28, 2024, tracking period, Diddy’s catalog earned just 1,000 spins and 4 million audience impressions, down 88% in spins and 83% in impressions from November 3–16, 2023 (11,000 spins, 23.3 million impressions).
The cascade began with Cassie’s November 2023 lawsuit alleging years of abuse and rape, followed by over 20 civil lawsuits accusing Diddy of sexual assault, some dating back to the 1990s. These claims, though separate from the criminal trial, damaged his public image.
Radio vs. Streaming: Radio programmers, sensitive to advertiser concerns, have largely abandoned Diddy’s music, with spins dropping to near-zero in some weeks post-arrest.
Streaming numbers, however, have been less affected. After the March 2024 raids, Diddy’s catalog saw a 38% spike in daily streams (from 930,000 on March 23–24 to 1.28 million on March 26–27), driven by public curiosity. Still, weekly streams fell 22% after he stepped down as chairman of Revolt in November 2023 and 55% more when brands cut ties with his Empower Global platform and Hulu scrapped a reality show. Unlike radio, streaming has shown some resilience, similar to R. Kelly’s post-conviction streaming plateau.
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