MJ Doc Fuels Reinterest in 'Whacko' Jacko’s Music
The media furor and speculation that followed HBO’s Leaving Neverland 2-part doc has led to a small numbe
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.
![Matthew McConaughey [L] and Zach Bryan chat "On the Porch."](https://ca.billboard.com/media-library/matthew-mcconaughey-l-and-zach-bryan-chat-on-the-porch.jpg?id=68613414&width=600&height=600&quality=50&coordinates=157%2C0%2C157%2C0)
