2009-06-26 23:46:01 -

The unexpected passing of Michael Jackson on Thursday afternoon had jukeboxes around the country spinning in tribute to the King of Pop, with the AMI Entertainment Network reporting an astounding 2,000 percent spike in music plays across its broadband-powered jukebox network across the USA, the company said Friday.

Mike Maas, president and CEO of AMI Entertainment Network, said between 6 p.m.

and Midnight CT Thursday, June 25, Michael Jackson (solo) and Jackson 5 songs represented nearly 50,000 jukebox plays on AMI Entertainment Network jukeboxes in bars, taverns, and nightclubs across the country. Jackson’s songs usually draw an average of 2,500 jukebox plays a night coast-to-coast.

AMI Entertainment Network, a global jukebox leader known for classic brands, such as AMI, Rowe, and Rock-Ola, can track jukebox plays based on the volume of traffic over its broadband delivery network.

The top 10 Jackson picks of the evening were (in order) Billie Jean, Thriller, Beat It, Don’t Stop Til You get Enough, Rock With You, The Way You Make Me Feel, Bad, Smooth Criminals, Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin, and PYT (Pretty Young Thing). They were among dozens of Jackson favorites played on jukeboxes nationwide Thursday, one of the most popular entertainment nights of the week, the company said.

Fleishman-HillardTom Pagano, 314-982-1702