The song topping iTunes’ Top Songs list is a “song” attributed to former President Donald Trump and the “J6 Prison Choir” since Monday.
In “Justice For All,” a pulsating ambient sonic hum builds behind Trump as he recites the Pledge of Allegiance to a lo-fi track of a group of people singing the “Star-Spangled Banner” from another source.
The J6 Prison Chorus is made up of inmates who were all found guilty of participating in the riots and assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, which the House Select Committee that reviewed the incident described as “attempted coup”. on the American government.
The song, which was produced by an unidentified and uncredited person, debuted on March 3 and topped the iTunes chart on Friday. The track sold 4,800 downloads to peak and 22,500 over the weekend and through Monday, according to music sales tracking firm Luminate.
“It strikes me as a large amount of downloads,” an executive at the music technology company unaffiliated with the release, who asked not to be named given the controversial nature of the song, told Forbes on Monday.
Since the rise of streaming technology, music sales, both digital and physical, have declined (the World Economic Forum claimed last April that streaming accounts for 65% of recording industry revenue). It allows sales-focused ventures like this to take off as more fans of, say, Miley Cyrus — whose song “Flowers” was the number one song through Friday — consume her content through streaming services. streaming.
The song failed to enter the Billboard charts as a result. Yet Erica Knight, a representative for Kash Patel, a former Trump administration employee involved in the recording, also told Forbes that she expects to see the song on many charts when it comes out Tuesday.
The track sells for $1.29 on the iTunes Store, and $100 vinyl copies are also available for purchase. It is said that the winnings will go to help the families of those who are incarcerated.
Legal and governmental ethics experts were quick to denounce the “song”, which continues a trend of right-wing politicians and media to downplay the events of January 6.
Robert Maguire, research director for the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, said in a tweet on the day of the song’s release: “I have never been more disgusted by the mere existence of a song than the one sung by a president who tried to stage a coup and a literal ‘chorus’ of insurgents who tried to help him.”