Michael Jackson commands multiple albums charts in the U.K. with two different projects, as both The Essential and the Michael soundtrack rule. American Pop singer Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009) performs on stage at Madison Square Garden during the ‘Bad Tour,’ New York, New York, March 5, 1988. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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Michael Jackson has been referred to as one of the bestselling musicians – and by some estimates, perhaps the bestselling artist – of all time. Sales are not nearly as important in today’s music economy as they were when the King of Pop got his start, as these days, millions of music lovers all around the planet choose to consume their music via platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, iHeartRadio and dozens of others. Some legacy acts have never quite found an audience on these websites, but Jackson certainly has, and his fates on streaming charts improved significantly earlier this year thanks to the release of his biopic, Michael.
Months after that film was released to theaters everywhere and became the top-grossing musical biopic of all time, Jackson finds his way back to the top spot on a streaming roster in the United Kingdom, proving that despite the fact that he’s been gone for coming up on two decades, the singer is still a major player in the business.
Michael Jackson Returns to No. 1
Jackson is once again in control of the Official Albums Streaming chart. The U.K.-based ranking looks only at the collections that rack up the most plays on streaming sites in that country. For the past two frames, the star’s The Essential Michael Jackson, one of his most popular compilations in that country, has been stuck at No. 2, but now it is in charge once more.
The Essential Michael Jackson Rules Again
The Essential Michael Jackson has now ruled the Official Albums Streaming chart six times out of the more than 200 weeks it has spent on the tally. The compilation first reached the summit in mid-May of this year. Since then, the project has only failed to dominate three times, and in each instance, it landed in the runner-up rung.
Michael Jackson Has Charted Only One Streaming Leader
Since first hitting the Official Albums Streaming chart in March 2015 – he landed his first three wins on the tally in that month alone, more than half a decade after his death – Jackson has only conquered the streaming tally once. The Essential Michael Jackson stands as his sole leader, and his second longest-charting title. Another compilation, Number Ones, has held on for even longer. That project has thus far racked up 394 turns on the tally, though, notably, it is not present at the moment.
Michael Still Leads the Soundtracks Chart
The Essential Michael Jackson is not Jackson’s only set to appear at No. 1 on a chart in the U.K. this week. Michael: Songs From the Motion Picture is steady atop the Official Soundtrack Albums rundown. The collection, which is of course attached to the movie of the same name, has now spent 10 weeks on the soundtracks-only tally. It has occupied the loftiest rung in all but one frame. In late May, Michael was forced down a peg to No. 2 – the only time it has not led the charge – as Peaky Blinders — The Immortal Man reached the summit.
Michael Jackson Charts Seven Albums in the U.K.
Both The Essential Michael Jackson and Michael: Songs From the Motion Picture appear on multiple rosters. The Essential Michael Jackson is largely on the rise, climbing on three of the five rankings where it appears and keeping at No. 3 on the Official Albums chart. Meanwhile, Michael drops and barely hangs on inside the top 40 on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums lists, dipping to No. 39 while simultaneously ruling the soundtracks rundown.
Five additional titles by Jackson appear on at least one chart apiece in the U.K. That roundup includes Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall, the aforementioned Number Ones and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.
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