Business Notes Entertainment

He was Bad. Now he's Dangerous. But what the recession-racked record industry most hopes Michael Jackson will be is popular -- and wildly so. The singer's new album, his first in four years, went on sale last week in the midst of the industry's worst slump in a decade.

Dangerous is an instant multiplatinum hit, with an initial pressing of 8 million copies. What remains to be seen is whether it can come even close to Jackson's 1982 Thriller, which sold 48 million copies worldwide. His label, Sony's Epic division, is coaxing customers with a huge promotional effort. Twin Peaks director David Lynch filmed a trailer playing in movie theaters and on TV. K Mart outlets are pushing the album in half a dozen locations in each store. Working against the hoopla: mixed reviews like Daily Variety's downbeat verdict that "this album won't be the economic miracle the industry is waiting for."