Holy fuck! Rest in peace, MJ.
As you probably know by now, it’s extremely hard to go platinum these days — especially going diamond. There has only been a handful of artists to accomplish the feat — including Whitney Houston, Eminem, 2pac‘s Greatest Hits, The Beatles, Phil Collins, N*SYNC, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd.
Thriller has always been the highest selling album of all time, but now it’s broken the ultimate record — going certified 30x platinum, officially making it triple diamond, which is first album ever to do so. RIAA chairman and CEO Cary Sherman said this about the achievement:
“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. 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.”