Jackson Makes Chart History - Again

Well, he did it. Michael Jackson – even in death – has broken chart records. Billboard is reporting that Jackson holds nine of the top ten spots on the pop chart.

From Billboard writer Keith Caulfield (bolding is mine):

Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles... Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night.

"Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with sales of 108,000 (an increase of 2,340 percent) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the second and third slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.

The same article also talks of a new digital record:

Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in June 2008. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."

I read some report somewhere that had the sad line “Jackson is worth more dead than alive.” Sad because this might be true.

One thing is for sure: no artist in this digital age will ever be able to top this amazing feat.