THE five entertainers who recently had their US visas revoked have have seen a jump in their online presence.

It indicates that more persons worldwide are searching for news and music from these entertainers. Bounty Killer’s search volume skyrocketed by a factor of 15 since April 5, from virtually nil, according to data from US-based search engine Google analysed by the Sunday Observer. It appears that his assault charge affected his average search volume greater than the revocation of visa, as his average search volume jumped one day after being charged for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

The average search traffic for Beenie Man and fellow deejay Mavado increased 39 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, throughout April compared with March. Google Trends analyses a portion of Google web searches to compute the quantity of searches for terms relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time. The search volume for Ricky Trooper and Aidonia was not strong enough to register, however Trooper, who may be called Ricky Youtube, garnered over 42,000 views in two weeks for his video which bashed entertainers and politicians whilst holding a gun which he later called a cigarette lighter. Comparatively, his second-most watched video received some 38,000 views over two years.

Online search volume has significance as it reflects, in part, the fluctuations in online popularity of an artiste. The most popular Jamaican entertainers have the most online traffic such as Bob Marley, Sean Paul and Shaggy. Over time online traffic can gauge the popularity of artistes. For instance, Mavado in 2008 was more searched for than rival deejay Vybz Kartel, reflecting the rise of the Gully God. Since 2009, however, Kartel has usurped Mavado, reflecting a barrage of singles, strong performances and a slew of controversial publicity stunts.

An artiste’s online traffic usually jumps leading up to an album launch but also is affected by the release of news. Beenie Man, for instance, has taken advantage of his bump in online search volume by releasing a single about the revocation of his visa.

On March 31, top dancehall deejays Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado, Aidonia, along with veteran selector Ricky Trooper, had their visas revoked by the US Embassy. Airlines were advised not to board the artistes as their visas were in the process of being revoked. The artistes themselves claim they had no knowledge that such a move was afoot and the US embassy offered no comment following the incident.

The increased search volume of these artistes, however, pales in comparison to Buju Banton’s spike following his December 10 arrest in Florida, which also led him to re-chart on Billboard’s Reggae Albums. Banton became the second most searched for Jamaican artiste, following Bob Marley, but prior to his arrest, Banton was less searched for than many of his peers. His trend data from Google had risen so fast that between December 13 to 18 he was twice as popular as Shaggy, four times more popular than Vybz Kartel and six times more popular than Sizzla and Mavado. On New Year’s Eve, Banton’s presence had waned but he still was more popular than Mavado and Sizzla, and was tied with Damian Marley.

Banton’s latest album, Rasta Got Soul, was the second highest jumper during the first week in January on Billboard Reggae Charts. Banton’s album was second to Soja’s Born in Babylon which was top jump of that week.

Banton, born Mark Myrie, along with Ian Thomas, also called ‘Yush’ and Jason Mack, was held December 10 by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and charged with conspiracy and intent to distribute at least five kilogrammes of cocaine.