Michael Jackson died in June 2009. Spotify launched in the United States two years later, on July 14, 2011.
Seventeen years after his death, he reached a milestone that only a small number of artists have ever achieved.
In May, Michael Jackson passed 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify for the first time.
Spotify has around 8 million artist profiles. Only about 17 artists have ever reached 100 million monthly listeners. The Weeknd was the first, followed by Taylor Swift.
Now, Michael Jackson is among them.
What makes this achievement remarkable is the era he came from.
Michael built his career when people stood in long lines outside record stores to buy his albums. His music reached homes through vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs.
He died before Spotify became available in the United States. He never got to experience the streaming era that now brings his music to millions of listeners.
Yet his songs continue to compete for attention alongside today’s biggest stars.
On April 24, Michael, the film about his life, arrived in cinemas. Within weeks, it had earned hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide.
The film brought renewed attention to his music. Millions of people returned to his songs, while others discovered them.
In just four weeks, his monthly listeners increased by about 40 million, pushing him past 100 million.
But the film was not the beginning of his popularity.
Before its release, more than 60 million people were already listening to Michael Jackson on Spotify every month.
That is perhaps the most remarkable part of this story.
Michael Jackson has been dead for 17 years. He has not released a new studio album during that time.
Yet his music continues to attract the kind of audience numbers usually associated with today’s biggest active artists.
The music industry has changed. Streaming replaced physical records. New generations of artists have arrived, built huge fan bases, and released countless albums.
But Michael Jackson’s music continues to reach tens of millions of people every month.
Seventeen years after his death, he is still reaching streaming numbers that many living, actively recording superstars have never achieved.