The estate of Michael Jackson has reportedly raised their concerns about the fact that Thriller is no longer the best-selling album of all time in the US, having been eclipsed by the Eagles.
While recent months have seen countless debates discussing the accusations raised in the recent Finding Neverland documentary, Michael Jackson’s estate is now questioning how the King of Pop lost a rather impressive album sales record.
Back in August, the Recording Industry Association of America announced that after years of holding the title, Michael Jackson’s Thriller was no longer the best-selling album of all time in America.
Instead, this honour now belongs to the Eagles, whose compilation, Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), bookended Michael Jackson’s 1982 effort, with Hotel California sitting pretty at #3.
However, as Billboard notes, this newfound certification was not without controversy.
While the two recorded had reportedly traded places atop the best-sellers list for years, the Eagles now top Jackson’s album by five million copies, having received nine new platinum certifications in a single day for the period of 2006 to 2018.
An impressive effort on paper, the Jackson estate is now questioning whether the nine million album sales that recently came to light were in fact legitimate.
“After Thriller being the recognized No. 1 album seller in the United States for a decade, we were obviously surprised and concerned when we were overtaken despite all metrics we use stating otherwise,” explained Sony Music Entertainment CEO Rob Stringer
“All we are asking for is transparency in the process so we can understand how sales numbers changed so dramatically at such short notice.”
Check out the Eagles’ ‘Take It Easy’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c3FD6msOzo
According to the Warner Music Group, a “forensic search” was undertaken in which a number of sales and royalty reports (which are kept in underground vaults) were studied to ensure the Eagles’ sales figures were accurate.
John Branca, a co-executor of Jackson’s estate, admits he’s skeptical about these findings, noting it makes him wonder about the sales figures of other RIAA-certified records.
“Record companies regularly restrict audits of sales to a three-year period,” he noted. “I’ve never seen an audit that goes back 20 years.”
“The notion that they can go back 10, 15, 20 or 30 years and find units that were never counted before is absurd,” asked an executive with ties to both Sony and Michal Jackson’s estate.
“They reviewed these records before. Why didn’t they find those uncounted records then?”
Despite this battle for record sale supremacy, the Jackson estate undoubtedly takes solace in knowing that the King of Pop is still riding high in the global market, with Thriller boasting over 47 million sales to the Eagles’ 41 million.
Check out Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’:
