Michael Jackson's Thriller 25 is on Billboard's catalogue (oldies) chart

The folks at Sony are not thrilled that Michael Jackson's "Thriller 25" is on Billboard's catalogue - or oldies - chart.

Even though it's No. 1.

Label sources argue that Jackson's 25th-anniversary album is full of new material and should be on the music-biz bible's Top 200 list.

Sure, it has Jackson's memorable hits "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "The Girl Is Mine."

But one source says, "It has six new songs. Michael went into the studio and recorded with Kanye West, Fergie, Akon, Will.i.Am - and there's a brand-new song from Michael, and videos. It beat Grammy winners Amy Winehouse and Herbie Hancock, with 167,000 crossing the counter. Yet for reasons unfathomable to folks in the music industry, Billboard has decided to relegate it to the catalogue chart. Catalogue makes it look like same ol' same ol', but with a new cover.

"Michael expected it to be on the Top 200 chart."

Billboard chart guru Geoff Mayfield tells us: "We were approached by Sony and Sony BMG to consider 'Thriller 25' as a current album. But we had to be consistent with hundreds, if not thousands, of reissues that have come to the market. There have actually been new issues of classic albums that include even more new material. We didn't just make the decision on our own. We contacted major retailers [like Wal-Mart and Best Buy], and that was the consensus."

Mayfield was conciliatory. "I always understand when people are disappointed when they don't show as high up on the chart, or on the chart they wanted." But Jackson should be happy, he added: "It's the largest sum for an album on the catalogue chart to be sold in 10 years."
[source]