Michael Jackson has left behind an unprecedented entertainment legacy. Since his passing, the Guinness Book of World Record’s Most Successful Artist of all Time is commanding the charts, as he did in life.
For the week ending July 5, Michael Jackson albums occupied 9 of the 10 spots on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalogs chart. A Jackson 5 album prevented Michael from dominating the entire chart as a solo artist. In that same week, Jackson sold 336,000 ringtones.
For the first time in Billboard history, a catalog album outsold the top album on their Hot 100’s chart (Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D”). According to Billboard, catalog albums are not eligible to appear on the Hot 200 chart, however Michael has secured the number one slot on the Top Comprehensive chart (which includes all current sales, regardless of album release date).
The top two selling albums the week after Michael died were “Number Ones” and “Thriller.”
“Thriller,” which according to the Recording Industry Association of America went platinum an astonishing 28 times, is the biggest selling original album of all time. Seven of the album’s 9 tracks made it to the Billboard Top Ten Singles chart. “Thriller” won Michael 8 Grammys in 1984.
To date, Michael Jackson has sold more than 750 million albums worldwide. He has released 8 platinum or multi-platinum albums and a total of 47 Billboard Hot 100 singles.
A performer since the age of 5, Michael was named the American Music Awards’ Artist of The Century. The13-time Grammy winner has also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame two times, once with his brothers as part of the Jackson 5 and once as a solo artist.
Despite the stream of criticism that Jackson received over the years for his personal choices, Jackson’s support and influence is undeniable. Months before he died Jackson sold out a 50-show tour in London’s O2 arena just hours after the 1 million tickets went on sale.
Written by Shaira B.
