# Why does Michael Jackson's death make everyone buy his music? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176 "2009-06-27T15:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/1 "2009-06-27T15:23:54Z")
I don’t know if it’s the wrong forum for this but it’s a poll of sorts I guess. The day after Michael Jackson’sdeath, 7 of the top 10 songs and 9 of the top 10 albums are by him. On some sharing sites his music dominates the top of the list. Why? Seriously, I have no idea. Does his death suddenly make his music more meaningful? Is it some weird way of mourning? Certainly it’s not benefitting him somehow, since he’s a bit corpsey. So if you didn’t want to listen to Thriller 2 days ago, why would you today? I honestly don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/2 "2009-06-27T15:31:18Z")
Nostalgia. Jackson is in the public’s mind, and many people think ‘Man, I loved that song when I was a kid. Funny, I don’t have it. I think I’ll buy some CDs.’ I was never a Michael Jackson fan. I did watch _The Jackson Five_ cartoon when I was a kid. (_Lookin’ for a Saturday morning place to be / Step inside the wonderful world of ABC! / A-boom-boom, yeah! / A-boom-boom, yeah! / The Jackson Five are comin’ to town…_) I think I’ve seen the _Thriller_ video exactly once. Not that I didn’t like it, or think it was good; I just wasn’t a fan. Now I’ve been hearing clips of Jackson’s songs during coverage of his death and I think, ‘He did that? I remember that song. I liked it.’ It’s tempted me to buy a CD or two. Chances are great that I won’t, but if nostalgia can tempt even a non-fan like me to buy then it’s not surprising that people who were fans during his heyday would buy music they hadn’t before or replace their vinyl with CDs and/or MP3s. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/3 "2009-06-27T17:30:11Z")
Also, I think the constant playing of his music is reminding people that MJ pioneered a lot of the pop/R&B sounds that are still charting today, and his songs sounded better than the imitations. So, for people that are too young to remember when his hits were played 24/7 the first time, why NOT get his music? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/4 "2009-06-27T17:40:03Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > So, for people that are too young to remember when his hits were played 24/7 the first time, why NOT get his music? For the same reason they didn’t buy it 2 days ago. If his music wasn’t sufficiently interesting to you before, why is it now? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/5 "2009-06-27T17:42:27Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > For the same reason they didn’t buy it 2 days ago. If his music wasn’t sufficiently interesting to you before, why is it now? I think a lot of people forgot about how good his music is. For the last 15-20 years, no one has known MJ the musician, hes been MJ the freakshow. Now, radios are playing his hits and reminding many who forgot that he is truly one of the greatest artists of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/6 "2009-06-27T17:47:33Z")
It’s a retrospective and reminding of the good things in his works and life, yes, but it’s also the Dead Artist Effect: his works are more valuable now that we know there won’t be any more of them. The Dead Artist Effect is extremely annoying to us Live Artists. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/7 "2009-06-27T18:04:19Z")
This may also be impacted by the fact that most of us bought his hit music on either records or tapes. If we want to listen to it now, we would need to buy it again, most likely. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/8 "2009-06-27T18:23:04Z")
Because everyone is talking about him right now. I have gone months at a time without thinking about Jacko, but now I’m discussing his musical legacy with my friends and family. Everybody else on earth is doing the same. It’s the most effective advertising campaign possible. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/9 "2009-06-27T18:31:03Z")
It’s an interesting question. I can understand like when John Lennon was killed, he had a new album out, and it was doing OK, but when he died, but when he died it shot to the top. I just went to our library and a few weeks ago I checked out a Jackson 5 CD and got it ASAP. Now I looked at the library site and all the items say “On hold” or “Date due,” which means people rushed to check them out. Now the record companies will attempt to make a quick buck by releasing all his material they didn’t like or didn’t think would sell. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/10 "2009-06-27T18:33:26Z")
Now that he’s dead, his music might be worth more, since he’s not going to be producing any new music (did he produce new music even while he was alive?). One might assume you could buy them cheap now, and sell them for more, later. Just another thought to consider. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/11 "2009-06-27T18:38:41Z")
That wouldn’t explain iTunes. Do CDs increase in value like that in an age where if you’re really motivated to find something rare you can probably find it somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/12 "2009-06-27T23:02:46Z")
I assume \*\*Casserole \*\*was making a joke, since the notion is clearly preposterous. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > If his music wasn’t sufficiently interesting to you before, why is it now? Because now I’m sufficiently interested in Michael Jackson. All of our interests are constantly waxing and waning; sometimes we gain or lose interest in something for no apparent reason, but for the most part this process is a function of our interaction with our environment (or a reaction to outside stimuli, to put it another way). For example, you’re a football fan. I assume you spend money from time to time on football-related merchandise (video games, books, jerseys, etc.). All else being equal, I’m sure you’re much more likely to spend money on football stuff during football season. But why? I mean, if you didn’t want to read [The Blind Side](http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Side-Evolution-Game/dp/039306123X) in March, why would you in October? It’s because in October, you’re surrounded by football and football information, and you like football, so it grabs your attention. Now you’re interested in football, and we seek out things that we’re interested in. It’s no different with _Thriller_. I like a lot of Michael Jackson songs, but last week there was nothing prodding me to focus attention on Michael Jackson. Now I’m hearing about him on the TV and from friends, and his songs are playing from open windows and passing cars, and I’m writing things about him on a message board. Now I’m surrounded by Michael Jackson stimuli, so that’s what I’m thinking about. And one of the things I thought yesterday was, “Hey, I don’t own _Thriller_, but _Thriller_’s essential and relevant and fun and interesting, and I want to have it.” ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/13 "2009-06-28T01:37:33Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > It’s a retrospective and reminding of the good things in his works and life, yes, but it’s also the Dead Artist Effect: his works are more valuable now that we know there won’t be any more of them. The Dead Artist Effect is extremely annoying to us Live Artists. Don’t feel bad. I’m sure your stuff will get really popular after you die too. Since artists are all about the art and not the money, it’s no problem. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/14 "2009-06-28T02:09:45Z")
I haven’t run out to buy any MJ music yet, and I may not for a while, but I will say that one of my first thoughts after “thank god we won’t have to see what depths that poor sick s.o.b. stoops to next” was “at least now I can buy that copy of “Off the Wall” that I’ve wanted for so long.” Even though I had a great deal of sympathy for his plight, and understood that it would be damned near impossible for him to get the psychiatric help he obviously needed, since he could never be really sure who he could trust, I was just too damned skeeved out by his pervy behavior and delusions of grandeur to want to contribute even a teensy tinsy bit to his financial upkeep by buying his music. (His OLD music, that is. His last few albums were forgettable at best.) Probably not the usual reaction, and I’m still not enthusiastic at the prospect of contributing to the upkeep of whichever parasitic family members will get a slice of the pie (with the exception of his poor children), but that’s my P.O.V. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/15 "2009-06-28T08:38:21Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I just went to our library and a few weeks ago I checked out a Jackson 5 CD and got it ASAP. Now I looked at the library site and all the items say “On hold” or “Date due,” which means people rushed to check them out. This is particularly annoying because come Monday or Tuesday some jackass is going to ask if we have any Michael Jackson CDs in and when I tell them no they’re going to pitch a fit. Blustering on about “why not?” and “who wants Michael Jackson CDs?” and “well, when are they coming back?” and etc. Well, let’s see. You want Michael Jackson CDs too and the other people that wanted them asked about them 3 and 4 days ago. So :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/16 "2009-06-29T04:37:11Z")
Something that doesn’t really seem to have been touched on is that the current teens and twenty somethings probably haven’t haven’t had much exposure to Michael Jackson at all. Now suddenly they’re hearing all these MJ songs and thinking, “hey that sounds pretty good, I might buy that.” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/17 "2009-06-29T04:41:09Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:16, topic:501176”] Something that doesn’t really seem to have been touched on is that the current teens and twenty somethings probably haven’t haven’t had much exposure to Michael Jackson at all. Now suddenly they’re hearing all these MJ songs and thinking, “hey that sounds pretty good, I might buy that.” [/QUOTE] Pssst - post #3. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/18 "2009-06-29T04:43:25Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:16, topic:501176”] Something that doesn’t really seem to have been touched on is that the current teens and twenty somethings probably haven’t haven’t had much exposure to Michael Jackson at all. Now suddenly they’re hearing all these MJ songs and thinking, “hey that sounds pretty good, I might buy that.” [/QUOTE] I did that back in '02/'03. I just randomly caught an MTV special of his music videos at one point and watched that and my thoughts were, “Wow, he’s not just a freak–he’s talented.” Then forgot about him till that Martin Bashir interview/documentary in '03, and then I started getting really interested. Like, also getting interested the scary stories, and listening to Thriller, Bad, and watching his music videos and realizing that even though he was frightening to look at, back in the day he truly was the man. It has inspired me to dig out Bad and put on songs that I never listened to back in the day (Man in the Mirror, Leave Me Alone, etc.). Plus, I rarely listen to current music. I feel no connection to the music of “today” but this is something that almost everyone is listening to now. It feels like being a part of something. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/19 "2009-06-29T04:45:09Z")
Omigod, I don’t have _any_ Michael Jackson music. It’s going to take something more radical than his death to change that. At the very least, resurrection. Nah, not even then. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176/20 "2009-06-29T04:48:35Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Pssst - post #3. Sorry, I read that as referring to people who were aware of MJs music but weren’t old enough to be nostalgic for it, rather than people for whom MJs music is effectively new. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-michael-jacksons-death-make-everyone-buy-his-music/501176.md?page=2)