The King of Pop has added another jewel to his crown: the RIAA certified Thriller as the first 30x-multiplatinum album, reaffirming its status as the bestselling album of all time.
“RIAA has awarded Gold & Platinum records on behalf of the music business for nearly 60 years, but this is the first time an artist has crossed the 30X multi-Platinum plateau,” said RIAA chief Cary Sherman in a statement. “We are honored to celebrate the unique status of Thriller in Gold & Platinum history.”
Produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson, Thriller won a record eight Grammys and spent more than two years on the Billboard album charts. It also spawned some of the most influential videos of all time, namely “Thriller,” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” which revolutionized the medium–and paved the way for black artists to become MTV mainstays, cementing Jackson’s status as the Jackie Robinson of pop music.
Michael Jackson is widely credited for his accomplishments as an artist and trailblazer, but his late-life financial woes obscure what’s likely the most successful career any musician has had from a business standpoint, as I wrote in my book Michael Jackson, Inc. That extends far beyond Thriller, which has now sold 30 million albums in the U.S. and some 100 million units around the world.
