Michael Jackson's Label Complains About Billboard Chart Placing Of Thriller 25
If you look solely at sales of all albums, this week Michael Jackson's special edition Thriller 25 would be lodged at #2 based on strong sales of 166,000 copies. However, a quick look at the Billboard Top 200 album chart shows Grammy-winning Amy Winehouse and her album Back to Black sitting comfortably at #2 with Michael Jackson nowhere to be seen.
The reason for this exclusion of Thriller 25 is that Billboard considers the album a catalog or oldies album, and Billboard publishes a special chart just for catalog albums. If you look at that chart, Michael Jackson is at #1 with the biggest one-week sales of a catalog album in over 10 years. Jackson's label Sony is complaining about the placement reasoning that the Top 200 chart is much more visible and likely to impact sales, but Billboard holds firm by their decision indicating they also spoke to major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy in making their decision. Sony also claims that it should be considered a new album because of the inclusion of new versions of songs featuring Akon and Fergie among others. However, past precedent shows that other albums including even more new material have been kept to the catalog chart.
Despite the controversy, it is quite an achievement for any 25 year old album to sell over 100,000 copies in one week.
Album cover courtesy Sony
Comments
what a load of fucking bulls**t, americans, cant even run a music chart properly
Woo hoo! I don’t care it charts, I got mine & it’s great. Go Michael!
I’m gonna get mines too soon! MJ and Thriller 4Ever! LOve ya!
i love michael whatever they say too much for conspiracy
just but mine a few hours ago its simply amazing! way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael is the best, is the best,,, is the bestest of the best..
He still knows the secret of music…
In my opinion Sony is just trying to hype up this album because more than likely, he won’t be releasing his new album nxt mth.
thanks for your info! you made it in at avvo.com.
after years of media generated crap, false rumors and stories the greatest of them all is back. the new sales of this “old catalogue” album alone show how truly exceptional this release was back then and how influential it was.
yet more records being created on the biggest album of all time, show it will be again.
however……michael please give us something new too, the fans want it and need it. i believe the music industry needs it too, just see how the thriller 25 release has excited it.