Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Just Smashed Another Record
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Michael Jackson's Thriller just won't beat it from the record books.
The King of Pop's seminal album has reached sales of over 30 million in the U.S., becoming the first album in history to do so, the Recording Industry Association of America and the Estate of Michael Jackson announced today. RIAA says the album has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
"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," Cary Sherman, RIAA's Chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "What an exceptional achievement and testament to Thriller’s enduring spot in our hearts and musical history."
It's far from the first time that Thriller has broken records. It became the best-selling album of all time just a little over a year after its release, so today's announcement just kicks MJ's dominance up a notch. Thriller spent nearly two-and-a-half years on the Billboard album chart, where it held a record 37 weeks at #1, according to RIAA. In 1984, it was nominated for 12 Grammy awards, and won eight, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for 'Beat It'). The wins still holdup as the most ever awarded to a single album.
As if that wasn't enough, the epic video for Thriller remains the only music video to be inducted into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.
"100 million albums and counting. There has never been a phenomenon like Thriller," John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, said in a statement.
RIAA says Jackson has sold a total of over one billion records worldwide.
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