As unlikely as it may seem, Adele isn’t the only artist capable of breaking a sales record.
More than six years after Michael Jackson’s death, his landmark album “Thriller” has become the first album to be certified 30 times multi-platinum in the United States.
Overall, the 1982 collection has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, while Jackson has sold more than 1 billion albums throughout the world.
“RIAA has awarded Gold & Platinum records on behalf of the music business for nearly 60 years, but this is the first time an artist has crossed the 30X multi-Platinum plateau,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO of the RIAA. “We are honored to celebrate the unique status of Thriller in Gold & Platinum history. What an exceptional achievement and testament to ‘Thriller’s’ enduring spot in our hearts and musical history.”
“Thriller” became the first album to be certified 20 times multi-platinum in 1984, but since then a number of albums have passed that summit. While the 30-million sales mark is certainly remarkable, the album’s sales are hardly a blowout.
Coming in a close second is The Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975,” which has so far sold 29 million copies, while another compilation, Billy Joel‘s “Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II,” is in third with 23 million copies sold. Also selling 23 million copies each: “Led Zeppelin IV” and Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”
AC/DC’s “Back in Black” is in sixth place with 22 million copies sold to date.
Read the Top 10 best-selling albums in America below.
15 Priciest Concert Tickets of 2015, From Britney Spears to Bob Dylan (Photos)
Britney Spears The pop singer started her residency at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas in 2013. Average ticket prices for her shows are around $139.17.
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Fleetwood Mac The group added 28 more dates to its "On With the Show" tour in January, with an average ticket costing $125.75.
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Taylor Swift The country-gone-pop singer began her "1989" tour in May, grossing over $130 million in ticket sales. The average ticket price for her tour was $111.54.
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Marc Anthony The singer has been touring since April 2014, but in 2015, he performed all over the world, scoring an average ticket price of $107.82.
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Juan Gabriel The Mexican singer has been on tour non-stop since September, commanding an average price per ticket of $101.95.
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Donny & Marie Osmond The duo is on tour right now, having kicked off on Dec. 12. The typical ticket costs $95.49.
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John Mellencamp Customers are paying around $90 to see John Mellencamp on tour in 2016.
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Kenny Chesney This year, the country singer went on tour from March until August, and asked $85.47 for the average ticket.
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Bob Dylan The folk legend performed in various cities throughout spring of this year, and his average ticket price was $84.53.
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Maroon 5 The band's world tour kicked off in Dallas on Feb. 16 and has since sold tickets at an average cost of $84.22 apiece.
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Harry Connick, Jr. Fans paid a mean ticket price of $84.11 to see the Jazz singer perform.
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Ricardo Arjona The Latin musician raked in an average ticket price of $80.33 in 2015.
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Diana Krall The Jazz performer, who kicks off a series of performances on Dec. 12, is commanding $76.30 per ticket on average.
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Merle Haggard The Western songwriter sold tickets for an average price of $75.80 in 2015.
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Luis Miguel Rounding out the field, the Latin performer cashed in around $75.61 per ticket in 2015.
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The average face-value ticket price of the 15 most expensive music performers in North America, according to Pollstar
Britney Spears The pop singer started her residency at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas in 2013. Average ticket prices for her shows are around $139.17.