Sony Music is facing criticism today after allegedly increasing the price of a Whitney Houston album on Apple's iTunes Store hours, maybe minutes, after the singer was found dead.

I'm not sure if it's only supposed to have happened in the U.K., but that's the impression I get. The label and/or iTunes is said to have boosted the price of Houston's greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection from £4.99 to £7.99. The Guardian said the move was made at 4 a.m. PST, while Digital Spy claims it happened 30 minutes after Houston's death, which would put it in the evening on Saturday. It was returned to its original price sometime on Sunday.

The Ultimate Collection, originally released in 1997, was the second top-selling album on iTunes on Monday morning.

Fans are angered by what they see as a move to capitalize on a tragedy.

The Guardian says, "The change happened when Sony Music, which owns the rights to much of Houston's back catalogue, increased the wholesale price of The Ultimate Collection. This automatically boosted the retail price of the popular album, although Apple is responsible setting the price paid by music fans."

Sales are known to jump considerably for an artist after the artist dies, as was the case with Amy Winehouse, Etta James and Michael Jackson.

Related:

Celebrities react to death of Whitney Houston (video)

Clive Davis gives heartfelt statement about Whitney Houston

Bobby Brown pays tribute to Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston dead at 48 *updated

Click here to see Whitney Houston's career in pictures