Whitney Houston's Greatest Hits Price Hike: Sony Accused of Gouging

Just hours after the death of Whitney Houston, several iTunes users discovered the late singer's greatest hits collection had jumped several dollars in price. Sony Music has since been accused of price-gouging, according to The Guardian.

Fans are criticizing the behemoth music consortium of capitalizing on the tragic death of Houston, by raising the price of 'The Ultimate Collection' from £4.99 to £7.99 in the U.K. The increase occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday but was brought back to the original value later in the day.

Sales for Amy Winehouse and Etta James jumped considerably after their deaths, and the trend continued with two of Houston's greatest hits collections topping the sales charts on iTunes.

Sony Music, who owns the majority of Houston's back catalog, raised the wholesale price of the album which caused Apple to adjust their pricing accordingly. An unnamed insider reports the increase was a coincidence and not a "cynical" move but rather a correction of Houston's album's wholesale value.

Houston died in a Los Angeles hotel on Saturday, Feb. 11 just before she was expected to perform at a party for Clive Davis. A definitive cause of death has not yet been determined.