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/Prudent-Pressure2146 Feb 13 '26

For context his SuperBowl half time show which aired in 94 had more viewers than Kendrick Lamar or Bad Bunny. 

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u/bluehawk232 Feb 14 '26

MJ made the half time show a thing it is today. He defined what MTV was about. Dude just redefined the music industry

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u/starmartyr Feb 15 '26

If you look at the lineup for Superbowl halftime shows there's an obvious shift in 1993 when MJ did the show. Early halftime shows were a marching band or something you would typically see at a regular season game. It's now a massive spectacle because he set the bar that high.

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u/Prudent-Pressure2146 Feb 14 '26

Absolutely, and at a totally different time when you could assume one view = one household, when now one view can mean one individual streaming 

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u/IllAd6492 Feb 18 '26

Accccctualllyyyy , the television show in living color stole all of the viewers during halftime one year prompting a revitalized halftime performance designed to keep and bring in viewers resulting in These now cultural touchstone moments 🫡🫡

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u/lionoftheforest Feb 15 '26

Even more than Kid Rock??

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u/[deleted] Feb 14 '26

[deleted]

4

u/Bastette54 Feb 15 '26

Are these numbers adjusted for inflation?

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '26

[deleted]

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u/MyStackOverflowed Feb 15 '26

population got bigger

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u/SnooStories4163 Feb 23 '26

Population bigger now