MJ Doc Fuels Reinterest in 'Whacko' Jacko’s Music

By David Farrell

The media furor and speculation that followed HBO’s Leaving Neverland 2-part doc has led to a small number of radio stations erasing Michael Jackson’s hits from their playlists, the cancellation of a planned jukebox musical and the deceased singer’s estate volubly outraged. But here in Canada, the stink has created a cash cow with album, digital tracks and on-demand streams surging in the wake of the two-parter. The only significant evidence that The King of Pop’s influence is waning in Canada is a 27-percent drop in airplay spins since the show’s airing

Jackson’s alleged badness has created a thriller wave of good news for Sony Music and the estate.

Here’s a breakdown of MJ’s Canada-wide metrics for the week ending March 7, 2019, as compared with the week ending Feb. 28, 2019.

• Physical albums up a whopping 48%

• Digital albums up 27%

• Total albums up 39%

• Digital tracks up 8%

• On-demand streams up 7%

• Airplay spins down 27%

– Data provided by Nielsen Canada and SoundScan.