Thriller (Michael Jackson album) video that would appeal to the mass market ended up influencing the way that professionals now market and release their songs. John Landis' production of a mini-movie, rather than the usual short music video, would raise the bar for other directors and producers. Before the success of "Thriller", many felt Jackson had struggled to get MTV airing because he was black. In an effort to attain air time for Jackson, CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff pressured MTV and declared, "I'm not going to give you any more videos and I'm going to go public and fucking tell them about the
Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video) zombies who attended rehearsals at nearby Mecca Live Studio in the weeks leading up to the parade. Lexington’s annual Thriller Parade attracts around 20,000 spectators and features multiple actors playing the role of Michael Jackson. In 2011, the red jacket worn by Jackson in the video was auctioned for $1.8 million. A Hollywood production company attempted to turn Jackson's song "Billie Jean", which is also featured on Jackson's "Thriller" album, into a feature film, but no plans were completed. In 2009, Jackson sold the "Thriller" rights to the Nederlander Organization to stage a Broadway musical based on the video. "Thriller"