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Michael Jackson estate, Sony Music Entertainment strike record distribution deal

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DuranDuran said:
A few acts like the Rolling Stones, Prince, & the Eagles have printed up their own albums and/or videos and sold them through a certain store like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, & Target. But this only works because these acts already have a fan base that will purchase their records and don't have to have radio airplay to sell. They also don't have to sell as much as they would on a major label to make a profit. All of the money goes to the act and not the middleman (the label). Prince tried to do his own distribution in the 1990s, but it was too expensive and too much work and it didn't really work out too well, so he later did some one album distribution deals with major labels like EMI & Columbia. He also put on of his albums in the newspaper in England or passed them out at concerts.
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and that's my point exactly. Michael is an international artist. can you imagine how much work, money and effort it would need to do his own distribution internationally? Distribution deals lets the artists still to be independent and free agents but leave the burden of the distribution to the companies with established networks.
 
well MJ has a fanbase that will buy his music without radio airplay, too. he didn't need to do a deal with wal mart, because fans have always been buying his music, even without promotion.

yeah...i know sony decided on this deal because of June 25, but MJ is called a legacy artist, because he always has that perennial big die hard fanbase that always purchases his music. he didn't need this deal, but sony did it, because of June 25.

i'm ok with the fact that that doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling, cus MJ's family is set for life.

but i know i'll be caught up, into the captive feeling that i know, goes with the anticipation of music possibly coming in November, because it is MJ music. and i always want to hear new or unreleased never heard before MJ music, and am happy to hear it. and to buy it.

so..my feelings are mixed.

the only solace i get from this, is that MJ's music truly loved him, and still loves him. more than it seems other artists' music loves them. his music is so powerful that it's own merit kept it moving into the fans hands, through the thick and thin, of cold careless conglomerates. and now, this big deal is a reflection of the music's magic.

so..i thank MJ's music, for being his friend, through thick and thin. a positive to counter a negative. a positive that makes up for the negative. and since the negative against MJ is bigger than it was for any artist before him, and since, that makes his music the best ever.

when sony and media and other hateful factions did things that would ruin anyone else's career, if the music wasn't strong enough to keep the fans buying it, the music kept the magic, and the fans kept buying, keeping MJ afloat. for that, i thank his music.

when constant repetition of rereleasing Billie Jean, would have been enough to destroy his career, if Billie Jean wasn't Billie Jean, the song's magic, kept his career afloat.

for that, i thank his music. for i'm sure MJ wasn't into constantly rereleasing the song, for fear of rejection(i know he was into releasing new material). his humility is a beautiful thing, and his music rewarded him, by never getting old.

for that, i thank his music. for being his friend. his music knew he would go through what he was forced to go through, and his music remained loyally magical, for him.
 
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Sony bets MJ fans won't stop 'til they get enough

By LINDA DEUTSCH and RYAN NAKASHIMA (AP)

LOS ANGELES — The man who spearheaded the record-breaking deal in which Michael Jackson's estate will get up to $250 million in the next seven years said Tuesday that Sony Music Entertainment bought a treasure trove of new Jackson music, some of it recorded "quite recently," some in collaboration with other artists.

John Branca, who negotiated the deal along with co-executor John McClain and team of attorneys, was clearly elated about the deal. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that this is only the first of more deals that will bring Jackson's music to his fans and introduce it to a world of potential new fans.

"The remarkable thing is to make the biggest deal in history in a market with declining record sales. It's a pretty big thing," Branca said. "It's a testament to Michael's incredible talent and his music. It's really an honor to be part of this."

He added that "there's more to come" but declined to elaborate. He also would not discuss the finances or specific details of the deal.

Branca is the lawyer who met the superstar singer when both were young men and is seen as the architect of Jackson's financial empire. They worked together for 30 years.

He and John McClain, a lifelong Jackson friend and music producer, are co-administrators of the Jackson estate. The estate has benefited from their deal to release the movie, "This is It," compiled from footage of rehearsals for a series of concerts that was in preparation when Jackson died last June at age 50.

Branca said he is convinced that Jackson would be delighted with the results of their negotiations.

"John McClain said it best," Branca said. "He said that Michael probably wouldn't have wanted 'This is It' released because he was such a perfectionist and it was rehearsal footage. But if he had seen that we could get $60 million for his mother and children and it became the biggest concert movie of all time, he would have said, 'Thank you very much.'"

He said he has not heard all of the 60 plus songs discovered by McClain but he said what he has heard is "classic Michael Jackson." Among the songs are two recordings that were never released that he made for charity with other stars. There are also songs he recorded for his famous albums that were never included in the final product.

"Michael had a tendency to over-record," Branca said. "He would record 20, 30, 40 songs for one album. These are the vintage songs."

The recent material was recorded within the last three years. The old and the new are likely to be combined on some of the albums to come, he said.

Among the songs in Jackson's vault is a collaboration with Paul Anka on a song called, "Love Never Felt So Good," which Branca described as "quite good."

Beyond the recorded material, he said Jackson left more songs that he composed but that don't have his voice on them. They would not have the same value, he said.

When he died, Jackson left recorded music including studio sessions from some of his most-popular albums and recently recorded songs made with the likes of Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

Branca noted that Jackson did not release a huge number of albums in his lifetime and his last one was nine years ago. He said the legacy of unreleased material is far more than what was left by Elvis Presley. He said Jackson's fan base is also larger, stretching around the globe.

"He is one of the most recognized figures in the world, along with Muhammad Ali," said Branca. He noted that two-thirds of record and movie ticket sales for "This is It" were outside the United States.

Under the deal officially announced Tuesday, Sony has guaranteed Jackson's estate $200 million for 10 projects over the next seven years. If certain conditions are met, the payment could rise to $250 million.

Since Jackson's death, McClain has combed through boxes of tapes and recordings Jackson left behind. McClain and Branca each stand to make 5 cents on every new dollar of revenue brought into the estate.

Even if only half of the 60 songs discovered by McClain are commercially viable, that would be enough for two or three albums. And some songs could also be packaged with already-heard material. That likely wouldn't detract from a new album's value. It might even add to it, because fans have been flocking to known commodities in music.

For example, 14 remastered albums from The Beatles catalog sold 13 million copies worldwide in the four months after they were released last September. Bob Seger's "Greatest Hits," an album that came out in 1994, was the best-selling catalog album of the last decade, with 9 million albums sold to date.

Jackson's own two-disc set that accompanied the concert rehearsal footage in "This Is It" has sold 5 million copies, and it had only one new song. That was the title song, which Jackson wrote with Anka around the time the "Thriller" album was becoming a smash hit.

With the album selling for $10 to $14, the revenue generated from sales is already well beyond the tens of millions of dollars needed to cover the per-project guarantees Sony is promising.

"He always said his children would never have anything to worry about because he had volumes of songs to release," said Raymone Bain, who began representing Jackson during his child molestation trial in 2005, in an interview Tuesday.

Bain, who is also suing the estate for fees, said Jackson told her he had "thousands of recordings" that he wanted to aim at a youthful audience, and spent nights during the trial writing new tunes as therapy.

"He wanted to prove to a new demographic group that he was still a major player in the industry," she said. "That's why he added Akon and Fergie and will.i.am to the 25th anniversary recording of `Thriller.'"

Releases from well-established artists have other advantages. An older fan base is more accustomed to buying whole albums than are younger fans familiar with free song-swapping online. A long sales history also makes it easier to evaluate what catalogs are worth.

"It's unusual for a deal like that not to make money for a distributor," said Lawrence Kenswil, an entertainment attorney at Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles and former executive with Universal Music Group. "It's a safer bet than betting on the future of unknown artists."

Speculation on exactly what unreleased songs exist (and how good they are) has been rampant since the King of Pop's death. Many who collaborated with Jackson in his later years have discussed their work with him, including will.i.am and Akon, who is a Senegalese R&B singer.

Whatever the unreleased material comprises, the Sony deal suggested that repurposing Jackson material across several formats — from DVDs to video games — will be of particular importance.

AP Entertainment Writers Jake Coyle in New York and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
 
MJ Crazy said:
I'm a little speechless right now. Michael hated Sony. In 2002 he talked about "out thinking" Sony and being a "free agent." Eight years later Sony and Michael's estate are involved a record-breaking $250 million deal. Hmmmm...who "out thought" who? I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it almost makes me wonder.

I'm very excited to hear Michael's "new" music, but I'm sad too.

Michael knew he was just a wheel in their money making machine. :no:

Rest in peace, dear Michael. :angel: The day of reckoning will come.
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i think you made a very scary point right there. I just got chills. I hope to god you arent right but ????
 
SeriousEffect. said:
Bad feeling about this.

The advance amount is so high that if his albums don't sell enough to recoup the advance amount the estate will end up actually owing Sony money. Getting more in debt could contribute to the selling of Michael's share of Sony/ATV. I don't feel this is the case, but I know it'll come up eventually.
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I really really hope Branca, McLain and the estate have covered this. Fark I hope so.....
 
I was watching Sky News yesterday and obviously this story came out. Industry insiders and the boss of HMV commented on the fact Michael will always sell no matter what because of who he is and they paid special attention to his fans. They mentioned that his fans love him so much and we're so loyal that we'll buy anything as 'they love Michael so much.' Thing is Sony know this which is why we have the 25th re-release of Billie Jean. Plus someone on the report mentioned that OTW30 will defnitely be released this year as part of the deal.
 
happy about the albums and stuff that would be released, and that mikes kids will be money stable, but most importantly is that this will carry on his legacy even further... :)

LOVE YA MIKE!!
 
Moonwalker.Fan said:
Sony bets MJ fans won't stop 'til they get enough

By LINDA DEUTSCH and RYAN NAKASHIMA (AP)

LOS ANGELES — The man who spearheaded the record-breaking deal in which Michael Jackson's estate will get up to $250 million in the next seven years said Tuesday that Sony Music Entertainment bought a treasure trove of new Jackson music, some of it recorded "quite recently," some in collaboration with other artists.

John Branca, who negotiated the deal along with co-executor John McClain and team of attorneys, was clearly elated about the deal. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that this is only the first of more deals that will bring Jackson's music to his fans and introduce it to a world of potential new fans.

"The remarkable thing is to make the biggest deal in history in a market with declining record sales. It's a pretty big thing," Branca said. "It's a testament to Michael's incredible talent and his music. It's really an honor to be part of this."

He added that "there's more to come" but declined to elaborate. He also would not discuss the finances or specific details of the deal.

Branca is the lawyer who met the superstar singer when both were young men and is seen as the architect of Jackson's financial empire. They worked together for 30 years.

He and John McClain, a lifelong Jackson friend and music producer, are co-administrators of the Jackson estate. The estate has benefited from their deal to release the movie, "This is It," compiled from footage of rehearsals for a series of concerts that was in preparation when Jackson died last June at age 50.

Branca said he is convinced that Jackson would be delighted with the results of their negotiations.

"John McClain said it best," Branca said. "He said that Michael probably wouldn't have wanted 'This is It' released because he was such a perfectionist and it was rehearsal footage. But if he had seen that we could get $60 million for his mother and children and it became the biggest concert movie of all time, he would have said, 'Thank you very much.'"

He said he has not heard all of the 60 plus songs discovered by McClain but he said what he has heard is "classic Michael Jackson." Among the songs are two recordings that were never released that he made for charity with other stars. There are also songs he recorded for his famous albums that were never included in the final product.

"Michael had a tendency to over-record," Branca said. "He would record 20, 30, 40 songs for one album. These are the vintage songs."

The recent material was recorded within the last three years. The old and the new are likely to be combined on some of the albums to come, he said.

Among the songs in Jackson's vault is a collaboration with Paul Anka on a song called, "Love Never Felt So Good," which Branca described as "quite good."

Beyond the recorded material, he said Jackson left more songs that he composed but that don't have his voice on them. They would not have the same value, he said.

When he died, Jackson left recorded music including studio sessions from some of his most-popular albums and recently recorded songs made with the likes of Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

Branca noted that Jackson did not release a huge number of albums in his lifetime and his last one was nine years ago. He said the legacy of unreleased material is far more than what was left by Elvis Presley. He said Jackson's fan base is also larger, stretching around the globe.

"He is one of the most recognized figures in the world, along with Muhammad Ali," said Branca. He noted that two-thirds of record and movie ticket sales for "This is It" were outside the United States.

Under the deal officially announced Tuesday, Sony has guaranteed Jackson's estate $200 million for 10 projects over the next seven years. If certain conditions are met, the payment could rise to $250 million.

Since Jackson's death, McClain has combed through boxes of tapes and recordings Jackson left behind. McClain and Branca each stand to make 5 cents on every new dollar of revenue brought into the estate.

Even if only half of the 60 songs discovered by McClain are commercially viable, that would be enough for two or three albums. And some songs could also be packaged with already-heard material. That likely wouldn't detract from a new album's value. It might even add to it, because fans have been flocking to known commodities in music.

For example, 14 remastered albums from The Beatles catalog sold 13 million copies worldwide in the four months after they were released last September. Bob Seger's "Greatest Hits," an album that came out in 1994, was the best-selling catalog album of the last decade, with 9 million albums sold to date.

Jackson's own two-disc set that accompanied the concert rehearsal footage in "This Is It" has sold 5 million copies, and it had only one new song. That was the title song, which Jackson wrote with Anka around the time the "Thriller" album was becoming a smash hit.

With the album selling for $10 to $14, the revenue generated from sales is already well beyond the tens of millions of dollars needed to cover the per-project guarantees Sony is promising.

"He always said his children would never have anything to worry about because he had volumes of songs to release," said Raymone Bain, who began representing Jackson during his child molestation trial in 2005, in an interview Tuesday.

Bain, who is also suing the estate for fees, said Jackson told her he had "thousands of recordings" that he wanted to aim at a youthful audience, and spent nights during the trial writing new tunes as therapy.

"He wanted to prove to a new demographic group that he was still a major player in the industry," she said. "That's why he added Akon and Fergie and will.i.am to the 25th anniversary recording of `Thriller.'"

Releases from well-established artists have other advantages. An older fan base is more accustomed to buying whole albums than are younger fans familiar with free song-swapping online. A long sales history also makes it easier to evaluate what catalogs are worth.

"It's unusual for a deal like that not to make money for a distributor," said Lawrence Kenswil, an entertainment attorney at Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles and former executive with Universal Music Group. "It's a safer bet than betting on the future of unknown artists."

Speculation on exactly what unreleased songs exist (and how good they are) has been rampant since the King of Pop's death. Many who collaborated with Jackson in his later years have discussed their work with him, including will.i.am and Akon, who is a Senegalese R&B singer.

Whatever the unreleased material comprises, the Sony deal suggested that repurposing Jackson material across several formats — from DVDs to video games — will be of particular importance.

AP Entertainment Writers Jake Coyle in New York and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Great article! Very thorough write-up. "Love Never Felt So Good" is better than "quite good" tho....imho. It's Yummilicious. I wonder if the version that leaked is the same as the one John's speaking of cuz I don't remember hearing any other voice on that song but Michael's (may have to listen to it again). So when he says a "duet" does he mean Michael singing and Paul Anka playing the piano? Or is there another version with both Michael and Paul singing. Imma go with Michael singing alone for 500, Chuck! No offense, to Paul. ;D

FedoraHatGirl2058 said:
Aweful part to read... will never know those ones... :no:
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I know. :( Then again, MAYBE they can find ways to use those instrumental songs in movies as part of soundtracks? They could be used in commercials and videogames (remember Sonic the Hedgehog) as well anything that doesn't require vocals 100%.

Another option is a special release of instrumentals. The question is would fans buy a CD of instrumental songs composed by Michael simply for the music alone? I definitely would...especially that classical one he was working on. It could be a "one off" kind of special release that only genuine music-lovers can appreciate. People still buy and listen to instrumental music (classical and smooth jazz). Perhaps they should take a poll someday to see what the response to such a thing would be. They might be pleasantly surprised at what people are interested in when MJ is involved. There's been one or 2 of Michael's instrumental works floating around on the net for a couple of years now and they weren't too shabby, imo. He wasn't just a singer. He was a composer as well. No reason that shouldn't be recognized in some way.

Then there's the DREADED option of having someone else do vocals...I know I KNOW...which is tricky and highly HIGHLY risky. The one song that comes to mind right now where this was done brilliantly was "Joy" by Blackstreet. Song written by MJ but sung by someone else. I think one of 3T's songs was written by Michael, too but not 100% sure now. I know the thought of someone else singing a song Michael wrote gives the heebie jeebies, but in good hands, it COULD work and he'd still get songwriting credit. The problem here is the "good hands" part. Oy! Just my 2 cents.


Thanks to all for the articles and updates. :flowers:
 
FedoraHatGirl2058 said:
Aweful part to read... will never know those ones... :no:
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I think they could invite other artists to sing those songs and release it like a tribute album. I would very much like to listen to the songs Michael wrote... Only those should be really great singers who would do MJ's music justice.
 
JMie said:
I think they could invite other artists to sing those songs and release it like a tribute album. I would very much like to listen to the songs Michael wrote... Only those should be really great singers who would do MJ's music justice.
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Trouble with that is the artists doing it would have no idea how MJ wanted the notes or pitch of his voice. Its a nice idea though.
 
sloride said:
Trouble with that is the artists doing it would have no idea how MJ wanted the notes or pitch of his voice. Its a nice idea though.
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I'd be happy just to hear the melodies he composed..:( :wub:
 
Memefan said:
A record contract struck in the early 1980s gave Mr. Jackson ownership of his recordings. Sony had the right to distribute those recordings through 2015. The new deal extends that right until 2017, and adds the rights to material recorded since then.
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I dont understand this you guys. Can someone break it down to me.

I thought that SONY didnt had the right to anything MJ had recorded after 2006. But the article says SONY had the rights through 2015. Where and why did I hear 2006 before? LOL. My own imagination perhaps? No but im sure that Ive seen and heard that SONY didnt had the rights to songs recorded after 2006.

elusive moonwalker said:
he left in 03.all material recorded after that date is own sorely by the estate. sony have the right to music up to next year.after that the estate own it all if the estate didnt want to deal with sony they would have had to wait until when ever it is in 2011 that they get them back
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Again.. 2011? Why did I hear 2006 before (LOL) and why do the article say 2015.. and not 2011 like you and many other have mentioned here.
 
sloride said:
Trouble with that is the artists doing it would have no idea how MJ wanted the notes or pitch of his voice. Its a nice idea though.
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I know :( But I think it's still better than nothing at all... I would really really love to hear those songs some day... Instrumentals would be fine as well, they could release an instrumental album and put the lyrics in a booklet... But if they record a tribute album with major artists, such an album could attract a lot of fans (not just Michael's but those other singers' as well) and those songs would not be considered "of less value"...
 
JMie said:
I think they could invite other artists to sing those songs and release it like a tribute album. I would very much like to listen to the songs Michael wrote... Only those should be really great singers who would do MJ's music justice.
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Cool idea, yeah, but its true about the real good. better said incredible vocalists, i mean they have to be real good ones.

Cause Michael was so unique when singing, may be he had an idea no other would uderstand BUT HIM, he was incredible unique, i mean i dont want the songs ruined or anything, but i admit there are very few real good male vocalists, Michael was rare in a extremely good way in his singing style and he was not limited by it, his range and his technic were very HIM, he invented himself, his voice was not white, it was not black, it was Michael Jackson,
but if that is the only way we can hear those compositions he did but didnt recorded, well i just wanna hear what were they like, i mean, its acceptable.
 
sloride said:
Trouble with that is the artists doing it would have no idea how MJ wanted the notes or pitch of his voice. Its a nice idea though.
Click to expand...
yep, but i mean what else can be done now :( i just wanna hear at least what was the idea, even if its a basic one
 
wendy2004 said:
I know. :( Then again, MAYBE they can find ways to use those instrumental songs in movies as part of soundtracks? They could be used in commercials and videogames (remember Sonic the Hedgehog) as well anything that doesn't require vocals 100%.

Another option is a special release of instrumentals. The question is would fans buy a CD of instrumental songs composed by Michael simply for the music alone? I definitely would...especially that classical one he was working on. It could be a "one off" kind of special release that only genuine music-lovers can appreciate. People still buy and listen to instrumental music (classical and smooth jazz). Perhaps they should take a poll someday to see what the response to such a thing would be. They might be pleasantly surprised at what people are interested in when MJ is involved. There's been one or 2 of Michael's instrumental works floating around on the net for a couple of years now and they weren't too shabby, imo. He wasn't just a singer. He was a composer as well. No reason that shouldn't be recognized in some way.

Then there's the DREADED option of having someone else do vocals...I know I KNOW...which is tricky and highly HIGHLY risky. The one song that comes to mind right now where this was done brilliantly was "Joy" by Blackstreet. Song written by MJ but sung by someone else. I think one of 3T's songs was written by Michael, too but not 100% sure now. I know the thought of someone else singing a song Michael wrote gives the heebie jeebies, but in good hands, it COULD work and he'd still get songwriting credit. The problem here is the "good hands" part. Oy! Just my 2 cents.
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i like your suggestions, i love them with the exceptions of the commercials. The INSTRUMENTALS and Soundtracks, wonderful idea, i love that, yeah Michael had planned a classical album as well, A MUST
 
thing is, sony knew we wanted all this, before june 25..so, did the media...that's why the article and announcement are fashioned, as they are, along with the headline. :S
 
mlbee2002 said:
I hate that we have to get this material in this manner, after all that has happened in the last 9 months, but I'm still happy to get new Michael. It's been too long! And $250 million!? Even in death, he can't be topped :)
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That's right! No one can top Michael. I'm very much looking forward to hearing unreleased music. I just hope it's good and does MJ justice.
 
I am NOT buying nothing unless it's new either not heard or a dvd that hasn't been released where I live.
 
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