“After the first death, there is no other” –Dylan Thomas
The day the news broke that Michael Jackson had passed away, hundreds of fans ran to where his body lay at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. In a matter of time, President Barack Obama and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger responded to the Icons untimely death and a worldwide vigil burned in countries like China, Malaysia and Paris.
After the world found out about Jackson’s death, online stores like Amazon.com and iTunes, started to surge in sales with Jackson’s products. On Amazon.com, Jackson’s music has remained five days in the top 100 for both music and DVD sales. With iTunes, Jackson’s songs like Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal remain the top sellers.
“Within two hours of his death, we completely sold out of his CD’s” said Greg Narquez a worker at CD Trader in Tarzana Ca. “It was like this when Frank Sinatra died. People just want the music.”
AT&T ringtones have been crowded with Michael Jackson songs, like Thriller and Beat It. Also, Jackson has been the most talked about and searched subject on Google and Twitter since his death. Bars and clubs around the world have been remembering the singer’s death by filling the walls with the King of Pop’s music.
“I get around three to five ‘minimal’ requests for M-J,” said Los Angeles DJ, Oliver Deejay Twist Chico. “On average I play 15 of his songs a night and it’s a great crowd response and a lot of support for an amazing artist.”
Five days after the singer’s death on Thursday June 25, 2009, sales remain at a consistent high for Jackson’s music. While fans await the final autopsy results and mourn the death of one of this century’s greatest stars, they will be listening to what he left behind- his passion and talent.