Michael Jackson’s Thriller Certified 30x Platinum in the US

December 16, 2015 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

This will never happen again: an album certified to have sold 30 million albums in just the US.

The Recording Industry Association of America, the industry body that hands out gold, platinum and diamond sales awards, has confirmed that Michael Jackson’s Thriller has sold 30,000,000 million units since its released on November 30, 1982. In industry-speak, that’s 30 x platinum or 3 x diamond. It’s a lot.

While it’s impossible to get an accurate number for global sales–anything sold before SoundScan came into being in 1991 was based solely on estimates and lies–it’s safe to say that Thriller has sold at least 100,000,000 around the world. As an artist, we can probably say that Jackson has sold more than a billion records of all sorts.

Read more about Thriller‘s latest milestone at Billboard.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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