Music industry experts described the sales impact of the King of Pop's sudden passing as "unprecedented" and "explosive".
Last night his best-of album reached No 1 in the UK charts, with four of his other albums also entering the Top 20. Forty-three of the Top 200 singles feature the singer.
As the first pop superstar to die since the digital revolution made music easily available online through websites such as iTunes, Jackson's posthumous sales are expected to dwarf those of Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Eamonn Forde, music industry analyst and contributing editor of Music Week said that Jackson's death was "far, far bigger than the The Beatles making their back catalogue digitally available".
"Because of the instant gratification of digital, a lot of people who would never have bothered going to the record shop are buying Michael Jackson songs, because they can do it with a couple of clicks from their bedroom," he said.
"The last time we saw such interest in a particular artists was when Sir Elton John released Candle in the Wind after Princess Diana's death, but a whole industry was required to get those records to the shops. There are no such restrictions this time."
Concrete sales figures since Jackson's death are not yet available, but industry sources said that well in excess of 100,000 of his records had been bought or legally downloaded in the UK since Thursday. At one stage on Friday his albums filled the top 14 places on the online retailer Amazon's sales ranking.
Jackson was an even bigger star in the world's two biggest music markets – the US and Japan – where his albums have also jumped up the charts.
However, record sales are just the tip of the iceberg. "The real money will be made through royalty fees, every penny of which should go to his estate," said Gennaro Castaldo of HMV, the music retailer.
"You could not walk along any street this weekend without hearing Michael Jackson's music coming out of almost every shop radio. If you replicate that across the world, you are looking at millions of pounds."
The renewed appetite for his music will be exploited by the release of "new" Jackson material, ensuring the sales boost is drawn out over weeks and months.
The star is understood to have collaborated with some of the biggest names in urban music, including Will. I. Am of the Black Eyed Peas, on an as-yet-unnamed album, and he reportedly left 200 unpublished songs to his children in his will to secure their future in the event of his bankruptcy.
Sony Music is also understood to be preparing a new compilation album.
The income will go some way to easing the precarious financial position in which Jackson left his estate. His executors may be forced to sell the singer's lucrative share in the Beatles back catalogue to help clear his estimated £200 million debt.
"Quite frankly, he may be worth more dead than alive," said Jerry Reisman of the Hit Factory recording studio, where Jackson produced his best-selling album Thriller.
Daily Telegraph
Last night his best-of album reached No 1 in the UK charts, with four of his other albums also entering the Top 20. Forty-three of the Top 200 singles feature the singer.
As the first pop superstar to die since the digital revolution made music easily available online through websites such as iTunes, Jackson's posthumous sales are expected to dwarf those of Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Eamonn Forde, music industry analyst and contributing editor of Music Week said that Jackson's death was "far, far bigger than the The Beatles making their back catalogue digitally available".
"Because of the instant gratification of digital, a lot of people who would never have bothered going to the record shop are buying Michael Jackson songs, because they can do it with a couple of clicks from their bedroom," he said.
"The last time we saw such interest in a particular artists was when Sir Elton John released Candle in the Wind after Princess Diana's death, but a whole industry was required to get those records to the shops. There are no such restrictions this time."
Concrete sales figures since Jackson's death are not yet available, but industry sources said that well in excess of 100,000 of his records had been bought or legally downloaded in the UK since Thursday. At one stage on Friday his albums filled the top 14 places on the online retailer Amazon's sales ranking.
Jackson was an even bigger star in the world's two biggest music markets – the US and Japan – where his albums have also jumped up the charts.
However, record sales are just the tip of the iceberg. "The real money will be made through royalty fees, every penny of which should go to his estate," said Gennaro Castaldo of HMV, the music retailer.
"You could not walk along any street this weekend without hearing Michael Jackson's music coming out of almost every shop radio. If you replicate that across the world, you are looking at millions of pounds."
The renewed appetite for his music will be exploited by the release of "new" Jackson material, ensuring the sales boost is drawn out over weeks and months.
The star is understood to have collaborated with some of the biggest names in urban music, including Will. I. Am of the Black Eyed Peas, on an as-yet-unnamed album, and he reportedly left 200 unpublished songs to his children in his will to secure their future in the event of his bankruptcy.
Sony Music is also understood to be preparing a new compilation album.
The income will go some way to easing the precarious financial position in which Jackson left his estate. His executors may be forced to sell the singer's lucrative share in the Beatles back catalogue to help clear his estimated £200 million debt.
"Quite frankly, he may be worth more dead than alive," said Jerry Reisman of the Hit Factory recording studio, where Jackson produced his best-selling album Thriller.
Daily Telegraph
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