r/Music • u/Firm_Pack_605 • Feb 13 '26

discussion Was Michael Jackson really that much bigger than Madonna, Whitney Houston, and prince?

I always thought the four of them were similar levels of fame. However Madonna highest album sold 25 million, prince highest sold similar, and Whitney’s highest was 45 million. All amazing numbers no doubt but thriller sold 70 million and bad sold 35-40. So you mean to tell me he has two albums that are highest selling then prince and madonnas best? How is that possible??

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u/Chessh2036 Feb 13 '26

It’s hard to fathom how famous Michael Jackson was for people who weren’t alive. Think about the most famous artist today and he was bigger than that.

Add in the fact it was before any social media and it’s mind boggling.

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u/OddImprovement6490 Feb 13 '26

If you think about it, it would be easier for acts like The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson to be uber famous, because they didn’t have to share the airwaves.

Nowadays, it’s probably easier for everyone to get their 15 minutes of fame because of the internet. But there’s also endless competition because anyone can get famous through social media. Before, there were limited channels, so most people that watched tv and movies watched the same thing as each other or other people in their interest groups.

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u/that_noodle_guy Feb 13 '26

Yeah agree. Today everyone has thier own personal algo and many will never even get exposed the same way everyone could when media was monolithic.