The Recording Industry of America (RIAA), the Estate of Michael Jackson, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings (the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment) has announced that Michael Jackson's Thriller has become the first album in RIAA Gold & Platinum Program history to be certified 33x Diamond for United States sales and streams. Thriller is still the only album to have surpassed the RIAA’s 30x million mark in U.S. sales.
“Thirty five years later, Michael Jackson's ‘Thriller’ remains as timeless and iconic as ever,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “‘Thriller’ has now become the first and only album to achieve an RIAA 33X Diamond Award, a moment forever etched in Gold & Platinum Program history. Congratulations on another ‘Thriller’ milestone.” The same day as Thriller's record-breaking certification, Jackson's Bad has also achieved RIAA 10x Diamond Award status in recognition of United States sales and streams of 10 million units.
With sales now topping more than 105 million copies worldwide, Thriller has solidified its status as the best-selling album of all-time while Michael Jackson's overall worldwide record sales exceed the 1 billion threshold. During his career, Michael Jackson released 13 No.1 singles and became one of only a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and Thriller as the World's Top-Selling Album of All Time. His artistry, choreography and music continue to inspire generations of pop, soul, R&B and hip-hop artists and fans.
Executives from Sony Music Entertainment and the Estate of Michael Jackson were in Los Angeles for a special plaque presentation honoring the most recent RIAA Gold & Platinum Program milestones achieved by Thriller and Bad. Pictured (l-r): Doug Morris (Chief Executive Officer, Sony Music), Rob Stringer (Chairman & CEO, Columbia Records), John Branca (Co-Executor of the Estate of Michael Jackson), Richard Story (President, Commercial Music Group), Antonio "L.A." Reid (Chairman & CEO, Epic Records) and Karen Langford (Estate of Michael Jackson).
For more information, visit epicrecords.com, sonymusic.com and/or dbaronmedia.com.
