Michael Jackson by the Numbers

Even in death, the King of Pop continues to shatter long-standing records.

The desire by Michael Jackson fans to know more about the singer's death reverberated on the Internet, breaking records for Web site traffic and digital downloads.(ABC News Photo Illustration)
From the moment the world learned the tragic news, the volume of people converging on the Internet was so great it nearly put major news, search and social networking sites out of commission.
In the following days, as fans searched for information, listened to music and exchanged memories, the online activity only continued to build, breaking records for Web site traffic and digital downloads.
"It was a global event. The impact was felt around the world at the same instant, a moment in time that led to absolutely everyone in the world going to the Web," said Peter Cashmore, founder of the social media blog Mashable, about Michael Jackson's death.
Though other celebrities died that week, none had the same international appeal as Jackson, he pointed out.


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That's what kind of pushed it over the edge," Cashmore said. "For a moment at least, it put a strain on the Web."
As fans continued to mourn and celebrate the star, the impact on the Web continued to reverberate out to every corner of the Internet. Here's a look at the numbers that tell the story.
Music Industry, Internet Companies Report Records
9.8 million -- The number of queries for the terms "Michael" and "Jackson" across the top 25 search engines and news and social media sites in the week ending June 27, according to Web analytics firm Compete.
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6 million – The approximate number of fans in the Facebook group "Michael Jackson" as of Sunday evening. Less than an hour after Jackson's death had been confirmed, more than 500 groups remembering Michael Jackson appeared on Facebook. As of Sunday evening, the fan page R.I.P. Michael Jackson (We Miss You) had attracted more than 3.5 million fans.
2.6 million -- The total number of downloads for Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 music in the week following his death, according to Nielsen's SoundScan. The previous week's total was 48,000. Jackson became the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in the first week, according to Billboard. Gene Munster, an Apple analyst for Piper Jaffray, estimates that in the three weeks after Jackson's death, iTunes alone will register 14 million to 15 million downloads of Jackson songs.