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The Michael Jackson Chart Watch

Thriller (album) was certified 15x platinum in the UK recently for sales of 4.5 million. It was last certified in 2016.

Bad (album) was certified 14x platinum in the UK recently for sales of 4.2 million. It’s first certification in the UK since the early 90s.
 
Billboard Year End 2021

Billboard 200 Albums:
Thriller: #73 (+38 from last year)
The Essential Michael Jackson: #163 (-14 from last year)

Top R&B Albums:
Thriller: #9 (+5)
The Essential Michael Jackson: #19 (Same as last year)

Vinyl Albums:
Thriller: #9 (-1)

Catalog Albums:
Thriller: #11 (+15)
The Essential Michael Jackson: #37 (-6)

Top Album Sales:
Thriller: #16 (+16)

Top R&B / Hip Hop Albums:
Thriller: #52 (+45)

Top Artists:
Michael Jackson: #79 (+15)

Billboard 200 Artists:
Michael Jackson: #42 (+9)

Top R&B Albums Artists:
Michael Jackson: #4 (+4)

Catalog Artists:
Michael Jackson: #6 (+2)

Top Album Sales Artists:
Michael Jackson: #21

Another great year for Michael in the US. His performance improved from last year on almost every chart.
 
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Top artists nr 79
Does this means his total sales of the year (albums, downloads etc) were good enough to rank at nr 79 of the year?
He surely is the oldest act on the list that high ranked? Maybe Queen and The Beatles feature higher?

I can't understand how thriller is still yearly in the top 100 best selling albums. It seems to sell more since Michael's passing than it did during the 90s and 00s. Impressive either way but I wish the other albums were good catalogue sellers as well.
 
filmandmusic said:
Top artists nr 79
Does this means his total sales of the year (albums, downloads etc) were good enough to rank at nr 79 of the year?
He surely is the oldest act on the list that high ranked? Maybe Queen and The Beatles feature higher?
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Yes, it includes sales & streams of both albums and singles. Out of the classic artists, only the Beatles (#59), Queen (#69) and Elton John (#75) are higher than Michael Jackson on the top artists list of 2021. Obviously Queen and Elton John have had biopics recently and The Beatles have just recently had a documentary released on Disney. Michael sadly doesn't get a lot of positive publicity. If he did, he would be ranked in the top 50.
filmandmusic said:
I can't understand how thriller is still yearly in the top 100 best selling albums. It seems to sell more since Michael's passing than it did during the 90s and 00s. Impressive either way but I wish the other albums were good catalogue sellers as well.
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Thriller is a great catalogue seller. Sadly every artist eventually becomes synonymous with one album or one song that becomes their signature and what the general public will remember them for. For Michael, it's the Thriller album. For Prince, it's the Purple Rain album.
 
Yes considering the nothing but bad press in the past 2 years and the lack of new releases it is quite impressive. I'm curious to see if this musical will have an impact.
 
Is there any way to find out how much his other records sold in 2021?
I would really like to compare.
How about downloadeds, there should be transparacy about such things.
 
filmandmusic said:
Is there any way to find out how much his other records sold in 2021?
I would really like to compare.
How about downloadeds, there should be transparacy about such things.
Click to expand...
I usually go to the below link to get any information about sales and streams.

2021 YTD thread - United States - UKMIX Forums

https://www.bing.com/th?id=OIP.a2U4DFKxpZ_pCDM8C21qAQEsDk&w=286&h=217&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&o=6&pid=3.1&rm=2https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.6c826d235f4bb4ef15ba6f598b461825?rik=%2bhARVbS1UvWeFw&pid=ImgRaw&r=0 https://2021happynewyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20
www.ukmix.org

Unfortunately, other than Thriller and The Essential albums, other albums sell very little units to appear on any charts.
 
Some of Michael's 2021 achievements on the charts and streaming world:

- Off The Wall was certified 9X platinum for units sold of 9 million in the US.
- Bad was certified 11X platinum for units sold of 11 million in the US.
- Thriller was certified 34X platinum for units sold of 34 million in the US.
- Number Ones went 5X platinum for units sold of 5 million in the US.
- The Essential Michael Jackson went 5X platinum for units sold of 2.5 million in the US. It's a two disc album so 2.5 X 2 = 5.
- In June, Billie Jean became Michael's first video to hit 1 billion views on youtube. It is currently has over 1.1b views, which means it has hit over 100m views since, and that is great.
- Billie Jean also became Michael's first song to surpass 1 billion streams on spotify.
- Number Ones became the first 21st century released album to spend 500 weeks on the UK albums chart.
- Number Ones also became the the album with most weeks spent on the UK albums chart by a solo artist, when it surpassed Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell's record of 522 weeks.
- I Want You Back went 2X platinum in the UK for combined units sold of 1.2 million.
- Due to Halloween, Thriller (song) re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #19, which was the song's highest position on the chart since March 1984.
- As a result, Michael has had at least one top 20 hit on the main singles chart in the US in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. That is SEVEN consecutive decades.
- Following its' 30th anniversary, Dangerous returned to Billboard 200 at #85, charting for the first time since 2010.
- Thriller (album) was certified 15X platinum for sales of 4.5 million in the UK.
- Bad (album) was certified 14X platinum for sales of 4.2 million in the UK.
- Earth Song was certified 2X platinum for sales of 1.2 million in the UK.

As a keen follower of the charts, 2021 was a great year for Michael. I hope for more of the same in 2022. :)
 
cool though I'm surprised at Bad's 11 times platinum stat in the USA. It never charts and I believe it was only at 7 times platinum around 2009. Did they find " lost" sales or so like how the Eagles and Elvis often find forgotten sales numbers lol
 
filmandmusic said:
cool though I'm surprised at Bad's 11 times platinum stat in the USA. It never charts and I believe it was only at 7 times platinum around 2009. Did they find " lost" sales or so like how the Eagles and Elvis often find forgotten sales numbers lol
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Just because Bad doesn't chart, it doesn't mean it doesn't sell. And Bad did chart again after release of Bad 25.

Also, Bad was certified 8x platinum in 1994 and then 9x platinum in 2013. Then 10x platinum in 2017 and 11x platinum in 2021. In 27 years, I can believe that it has sold 3 million units, even if it doesn't regularly chart like Thriller does. Michael's case is nothing like the Eagles, who found sale figures of 10 million out of nowhere from 2006-18.

Finally, we need to remember that they are constantly changing the rules. These certifications doesn't just include the physical or digital sales. They also include streams from spotify, apple music, amazon etc. They also now include youtube video streams and obviously Michael's videos get a lot of views.

And according to the link provided below, Bad should have been 11x platinum for units sold of 11 million in 2017, so it was undercertified for many years:

https://chartmasters.org/2017/09/understanding-riaa-label-audits-the-case-of-michael-jackson/11/
 
Streams and youtube views count? In that case thriller will surely jump over the eagles again very soon.
Not sure how you can equate streams with sales though, especially since spotify and youtube are free…
But I don’t make the rules.
 
filmandmusic said:
Streams and youtube views count? In that case thriller will surely jump over the eagles again very soon.
Not sure how you can equate streams with sales though, especially since spotify and youtube are free…
But I don’t make the rules.
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Thriller will takeover the Eagles within the next decade, if the Eagles don't manage to find more dodgy sales lol. It has sold over 500,000 units this year alone, and with its 40th anniversary next year and the possibility of its anniversary re-release, it will sell even more in 2022.

Streaming is the way music is consumed nowadays. It counts for like 80% of the way music is consumed by its consumers. They have to include streams now. Also spotify also has its premium users, which isn't free. I believe those premium user streams are given more weight than streams from free spotify users. Also, youtube streams don't count for as much spotify streams, as far as I am aware.
 
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Nite Line said:
Some of Michael's 2021 achievements on the charts and streaming world:

- Off The Wall was certified 9X platinum for units sold of 9 million in the US.
- Bad was certified 11X platinum for units sold of 11 million in the US.
- Thriller was certified 34X platinum for units sold of 34 million in the US.
- Number Ones went 5X platinum for units sold of 5 million in the US.
- The Essential Michael Jackson went 5X platinum for units sold of 2.5 million in the US. It's a two disc album so 2.5 X 2 = 5.
- In June, Billie Jean became Michael's first video to hit 1 billion views on youtube. It is currently has over 1.1b views, which means it has hit over 100m views since, and that is great.
- Billie Jean also became Michael's first song to surpass 1 billion streams on spotify.
- Number Ones became the first 21st century released album to spend 500 weeks on the UK albums chart.
- Number Ones also became the the album with most weeks spent on the UK albums chart by a solo artist, when it surpassed Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell's record of 522 weeks.
- I Want You Back went 2X platinum in the UK for combined units sold of 1.2 million.
- Due to Halloween, Thriller (song) re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #19, which was the song's highest position on the chart since March 1984.
- As a result, Michael has had at least one top 20 hit on the main singles chart in the US in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. That is SEVEN consecutive decades.
- Following its' 30th anniversary, Dangerous returned to Billboard 200 at #85, charting for the first time since 2010.
- Thriller (album) was certified 15X platinum for sales of 4.5 million in the UK.
- Bad (album) was certified 14X platinum for sales of 4.2 million in the UK.
- Earth Song was certified 2X platinum for sales of 1.2 million in the UK.

As a keen follower of the charts, 2021 was a great year for Michael. I hope for more of the same in 2022. :)
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Thank you so much for the highlights!
14 new Silver/Gold/Platinum awards in the UK only.
 
Nite Line said:
Thriller will takeover the Eagles within the next decade, if the Eagles don't manage to find more dodgy sales lol. It has sold over 500,000 units this year alone, and with its 40th anniversary next year and the possibility of its anniversary re-release, it will sell even more in 2022.

Streaming is the way music is consumed nowadays. It counts for like 80% of the way music is consumed by its consumers. They have to include streams now. Also spotify also has its premium users, which isn't free. I believe those premium user streams are given more weight than streams from free spotify users. Also, youtube streams don't count for as much spotify streams, as far as I am aware.
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Thriller was always since February 1984 the best selling album in the U.S.
The eagles fake was just a cheat. When asked they dont know where the sales coming from. Noone knows. They tried to cheat in the 90s, now again. no chance. Thriller was and is all the time Number 1!
 
Number Ones finishes as the #29th best performing album on the year end UK album charts for 2021.

It finished #39 in 2020, #56 in 2019, #63 in 2018, #70 in 2017, #97 in 2016.

So in the last six years, it has performed better than the previous year, which is wonderful.
 
mjchris said:
Thriller was always since February 1984 the best selling album in the U.S.
The eagles fake was just a cheat. When asked they dont know where the sales coming from. Noone knows. They tried to cheat in the 90s, now again. no chance. Thriller was and is all the time Number 1!
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Of course, we all know that the Eagle's certification were fake. I just hope that one day that Thriller officially becomes the best selling album in the US again.
 
The problem with greatest hits albums is that the regular music buyer thinks all he needs of one artist is a greatest hits record, this eventually narrows down the brilliance of an album as all other releases will become redundant. I say it is about time the Estate did something with other music that deserves re evaluation. But sure the album doing well is good news I guess.
 
filmandmusic said:
The problem with greatest hits albums is that the regular music buyer thinks all he needs of one artist is a greatest hits record, this eventually narrows down the brilliance of an album as all other releases will become redundant. I say it is about time the Estate did something with other music that deserves re evaluation. But sure the album doing well is good news I guess.
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Greatest hits are a great way to get the attention of non fans and casual fans. Lets be honest, only hardcore fans truly care about an artist’s entire catalogue. And hardcore fans are very few in number, compared to casual and non fans.
 
Some YOUTUBE stats for you guys. Ever since Leaving Neverland I started personally tracking the # of views MJ's videos have received.

Stranger In Moscow= 64 million (+23)
In The Closet= 65 million (+38)
Leave Me Alone= 72 million (+27)
Blood On The Dance Floor= 72 million (+19)
Jam= 77 million (+26)
Who Is It= 85 million (+51)
Speed Demon= 86 million (+42)
Slave To The Rhythm= 87 million (+23)
Ghosts= 95 million (+33)
Hold My Hand= 115 million (+21)
Give Into Me= 130 million (+53)
Man In The Mirror= 132 million (+35)
Scream= 136 million (+46)
Dirty Diana= 153 million (+83)
Heal The World= 196 million (+68)
Rock With You= 271 million (+107)
You Are Not Alone= 293 million (+130)
You Rock My World= 301 million (+108)
Don’t Stop Til Ya Get Enough= 320 million (+121)
Earth Song= 340 million (+141)
Love Never Felt So Good= 347 million (+96)
The Way You Make Me Feel= 410 million (+113)
Black Or White= 411 million (+131)
Remember The Time= 457 million (+164)
Bad= 471 million (+187)
Smooth Criminal= 760 million (+493)
Beat It= 802 million (+331)
They Don’t Care About Us= 966 million (+358)
Thriller= 979 million (+337)
Billie Jean= 1.14 Billion (+510)

I use ONLY videos on Michael Jackson's official page and if there's two official ones I combine the #'s. Some wild numbers... Billie Jean has been viewed over 500 MILLION times since the premiere of LN, followed by Smooth Criminal at 493 million additional views. They Don't Care About Us is at #3 with 358 million new views.
 
Some extra help for Travis3000’s fantastic work. Here are the top 10 videos ranked

1 Billie jean 510m
2 smooth criminal 493
3 they don‘t care about us 358
4 thriller 337
5 beat it 331
6 bad 187
7 remember the time 164
8 earth song 141
9 black or white 131
10 you are not alone 130

So firstly since LN aired his videos are still hot on YouTube and secondly I am astounded and happy to see TDCA being that big. Secondly who would have thought back in 1995 that this song would become one of the all time most popular.
Thirdly a big surprise to me is also to see YANA crack the top 10 and last but not least I am genuinely surprised to see thriller at “only“ nr 4

Where is come together?
 
5 of the top 6 most viewed MJ music videos were songs written and composed solely by Michael Jackson
-Billie Jean
-TDCAU
-Beat It
-Smooth Criminal
-Bad

The odd one out being Thriller. TDCAU has exploded due to the theme being very relatable in a world of Black Lives Matter, protests, political turmoil, pandemics, wars, etc. MJ had a genius way of writing music that can be relatable at all times to all people. It was his way of becoming immortal (his words, not mine).

Come Together sadly I forgot to track. But it has 27 million views officially.
 
Fantastic work @travis3000.

Looking at the numbers, They Don't Care About Us (Brazil) currently stands at 893m, Thriller at 822m and Beat It at 802m. One of these will Michael's next video to hit 1 billion views. The question is which one will get there first? I say Beat It, because even though it is behind both They Don't Care About Us and Thriller in overall views, it accumulated way more views in the last year than the other two.
 
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