AfterDawn: Tech news

Microsoft apologizes for Amy Winehouse album plug

Written by James Delahunty @ 27 Jul 2011 3:12 User comments (9)

Microsoft apologizes for Amy Winehouse album plug

Xbox 360's official Twitter account urges fans to buy album to remember star.
Microsoft has apologized for a tweet that encouraged fans of deceased artist Amy Winehouse to buy one of her albums from the Zune Marketplace. The tweet, which stated, "remember Amy Winehouse by downloading the ground-breaking 'Back to Black' over at Zune," was immediately met with a backlash from fans, who called it crass and vile.

"Talk about cashing in on someone's death!" a response from Simacco read. Soon after, an apology was posted by the account. "Apologies to everyone if our earlier Amy Winehouse download tweet seemed purely commercially motivated," it read. "Far from the case we assure you."

A further tweet posted later declared that the world had lost a huge talent, and that, "our thoughts and prayers are with Amy's family and friends at this very sad time."

Of course, we all expect to see Amy Winehouse' albums being pushed more aggressively now by music retailers, as is the case when there is any death of a star within the music industry. The tweet though, did seem distasteful, badly timed and exploitative of the situation.

Tags: Microsoft
Previous Next  

9 user comments

127.7.2011 15:45

It's just the verbiage... In no way would this have stopped the labels from flooding the market with her albums well before the corpse got cold, much less into the ground.

Beat up the ad execs for their misguided mouthy campaign then bash all the labels for their ghoulish behavior long before Elvis ever hit the grave.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 27 Jul 2011 @ 3:47

227.7.2011 19:58

I'm thinking that some folks over on Twitter need to lighten up a bit.

Believe me, if MS had thought that it would have angered people there would have been no point in doing it.


327.7.2011 23:58

ive heard about 20amy winehouse jokes in the 24 hours and most were in bad taste stilll didnt stop me from cracking up laughing.

428.7.2011 01:28

Originally posted by ThePastor:
I'm thinking that some folks over on Twitter need to lighten up a bit.

I'd have to agree with that. If there is an afterlife, I am sure she would be happy to see people listening to her music, no matter what their reason for buying it. If it were not for the fact that she is dead, she would have been using her own death as a sales tool.

528.7.2011 04:32

She is a no body, hardly known.

If it wasn't for all the drugs and crap she was taken she would have been a dead star many a moon ago.

628.7.2011 07:09

I don't want to get into bashing AW loads loved her music etc but seriously, what was really so "ground-breaking" about AW's music & Back to Black?
In my opinion it was an obvious typically cynical music business retread of 1950s music.

( hey, we've done the 60's, 70's, 80's & 90's to death lets go back to 50's music style! )

728.7.2011 08:32

Originally posted by xtago:
She is a no body, hardly known.

If it wasn't for all the drugs and crap she was taken she would have been a dead star many a moon ago.

I can't comprehend the goal or point of this statement... So all the drugs kept her living longer? And I don't know about hardly known; I've never knowingly listened to a single song, but I knew the name and so do many others.

829.7.2011 06:55
torrentoff
Unverified new user

I will always remember her, and I dont care for drugs and alcohol in her life, she was a great talent, she had amazing voice..I will know wear t-shirt with her portrait, I downloaded her first albums yesterday (here h ttp://www.torrentoff.com ) and I will always listen her songs..

929.7.2011 14:33

I don't think it was a big deal. Maybe some people found it a welcome and easy way to get her music. As far as cashing in hopefully her heirs will be recieving some of that money...I doubt that would bother her in the least.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

News archive