'Thriller' Extends Reign - 105 MILLION

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http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/ ... fied-album

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Extends Reign as Highest Certified Album in U.S. History

2/16/2017 by Keith Caulfield



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Kevin Mazur

Doug Morris, Rob Stringer, John Branca, Richard Story, L.A. Reid and Karen Langford.





The seminal 1982 album passes the 33-times platinum mark.

Michael Jackson’s blockbuster album Thriller just keeps on getting bigger. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified the set at 33-times platinum in the U.S., extending Thriller’s record as the highest certified album in history.

That means Thriller -- released in 1982 -- has earned 33 million equivalent album units in the U.S. That sum blends traditional album sales (one album sale equals one unit), tracks sold from an album (10 tracks sold equals one unit) and on-demand audio and/or video streams (1,500 streams equals one unit).

A plaque commemorating the milestone was presented at the home of Epic Records chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid over Grammy weekend, where Sony Music CEO Doug Morris, Columbia Records chairman and incoming Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer, Sony president, commercial group Richard Story, attorneys Karen Langford and John Branca toasted the certification.

The RIAA revamped its Gold & Platinum Awards Program on Feb. 1, 2016, growing from a pure album sales certification process to one that includes tracks and streams. That same day, Thriller’s certification was raised from 30 million to 32 million.
Thriller continues to maintain its place as the highest-certified album ever, ahead of Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, with 29 million. (It was last certified on Jan. 30, 2006.)

Thriller was released through Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records and spent 37 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The mega-successful set was the first to generate a record seven top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including two No. 1s: “Billie Jean” (No. 1 for seven weeks) and “Beat It” (No. 1 for three weeks). In 2015, Thriller was named the biggest album of all time by a male artist on the Billboard 200 chart, and the No. 3 title overall.

Simultaneous with Thriller’s raised certification, its follow-up, Bad, climbs to 10-times platinum (the RIAA’s Diamond award). Jackson is one of just 22 acts with more than one Diamond-certified album.

Representatives for Sony and Jackson’s estate say that Thriller has sold 105 million copies globally.

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The RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America) has awarded Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ yet another plaque! The biggest selling album of all time continues to sell at a steady pace and has now been certified 33-times platinum in the United States for sales of at least 33 million copies. It makes ‘Thriller’ the album with the greatest number of certifications ever. In 2015 ‘Thriller’ become the first album in history to hit 30 million in sales in the US. It is still the only album that surpassed 30 million. Globally the album has sold over 105 million copies.

From the moment it was released ‘Thriller’ was an unbelievable success and it went on to be number one on the Billboard chart for 37 nonconsecutive weeks. It was also the best selling album of both 1983 and 1984.

Seven songs from ‘Thriller’ (out of nine) were released as singles and all of them hit the top 10, which was a first on the Billboard charts. ‘Beat It’ and ‘Billie Jean’ both grabbed the number one spot. The album helped Michael win a record breaking number of Grammy’s in 1984.

Michael’s 1987 follow up album ‘Bad’ has also achieved a new RIAA 10x Diamond Award status in recognition of United States sales and streams of 10 million units.

With all his albums combined, Michael has sold over 1 billion records making him the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time as awarded by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Source: Forbes & MJWN

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