Michael Jackson, streaming boom: the playlist to (re)discover him

The king has returned. Or perhaps, more simply, he never left. In the first weekend of release of the film “Michael”, dedicated to the life and career of Michael Jackson, the public responded with an enthusiasm that goes far beyond the box office. According to an analysis by Luminate, a company specializing in music industry data and analysis, streaming listeners of the artist’s catalog in the United States increased by 95% compared to the previous weekend. An impressive leap that tells much more than a simple coincidence. The success of the film was immediate: Grossed $97 million in the US and Canada in its opening weekendalmost double the production company’s forecasts, which stopped at around 50 million. But the real cultural fact is what happened immediately after it came out of theaters: millions of people went back to listen to, or perhaps discover for the first time, the songs that defined an era. Between Friday 24th and Saturday 25th April, Michael Jackson’s songs have totaled 31.7 million streams in the United States. A week earlier, in the same interval, there had been 16.3 million. In just seven days, the nostalgia (and curiosity) effect practically doubled music consumption.

A playlist to (re)enter the myth

This type of phenomenon is not new: every great musical biopic reignites interest in the repertoire of the artist being told. But in the case of Michael Jackson, the situation is different. Here it is not just about rediscovery, but about reconnection with a catalog that has shaped pop music, music videos and global culture. To accompany this moment, an ideal playlist could follow a path that is not only chronological, but emotional and narrative – almost like a sonic extension of the film: this is what the film’s soundtrack does, which can be purchased on the Sony Music website at this link, which you can listen to below by clicking on “play“.

We inevitably start with the Jackson 5. Then from there we enter the “Thriller” era, with “Billie Jean” And “Beat It”two sides of the same revolution — funky minimalism and rock crossover. Then it arrives “Thriller”not just a song but a permanent cultural event. Listening to it again today, perhaps after having seen the film, means understanding its ambition and vision even better. The playlist culminates with the consecration of “Bad“.

Beyond the movie

The boom in streaming shows that the public doesn’t just consume a story: they want to delve deeper into it, live it, feel it. The film “Michael” functions as a gateway — or back — to a vast musical universe. And perhaps this is precisely the most evident sign of Michael Jackson’s legacy: his music does not remain confined to the past, but continues to be reactivated every time someone presses “play”. Today, that gesture has become collective. And the result is a phenomenon that is not only numerical, but profoundly cultural. And the anticipation for what has already been announced is growing sequels of the film.