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Michael Jackson Expected to Dominate Billboard's Catalog Charts

12:55 p.m. · June 30, 2009 · by Andrew Winistorfer

After his albums skyrocketed in total sales following his death last week, Michael Jackson is expected to dominate Billboard's Catalog Album Charts this week. Multiple Jackson albums (Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, Off the Wall) and compilations (Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson) have had brisk business, with three of them (Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller) all moving at least 100,000 copies in the last week. In comparison, Jackson's entire catalog only moved 10,000 units the week before his death.

But because albums that are older than 18 months aren't eligible for the Billboard 200, Jackson's chart success will be relegated to the Catalog Album Charts. But that might not be so bad, because Jackson is expected to hold down nine of the top ten spots on that chart, with two Jackson 5 compilations, and his box set, The Ultimate Collection, expected to chart above last week's top Catalog Album Chart album, Toby Mac's Portable Sounds, which moved 9,000 copies. 

Furthermore, this week could mark the first time a catalog album outsells the number one album on the Billboard 200, as Black Eyed Peas' utterly dreadful The E.N.D.is expected to claim number one with less than a 100 thousand units sold.

Official charts will be released tomorrow, July 1. [Billboard]