Jackson's Permanent Impact

Michael Jackson's influence still runs through the entertainment industry:

• Video budgets exploded after Thriller proved videos drove album sales; today's visual albums descend from his innovation
• Pop choreography became mandatory — from Beyoncé to BTS, dance is now expected on stage
• Cross-genre collaboration became standard practice in pop
• Touring as spectacle — his BAD tour (1987-89) reportedly played to 4.4 million people across 15 countries
• Jackson and Quincy Jones set a sonic-quality bar that producers still reference

Whatever else his complicated legacy includes, these artistic achievements are foundational.