Post by Pompous Git at
http://www.maximum-jackson.com/discussion/...8988#post238988
MJNI's services and content are now being created & published by my company, LICAS digital. We've been working solidly for over a year with a small and very dedicated team of volunteers to prepare for this; in fact, my own emails first discussing bringing back MJNI under the leadership of LICAS date back to 2006!
Regarding the timing; from my point of view, that Michael announced concerts is a coincidence in as much as had he announced a new album, or (yet another) Greatest Hits package, or even a new Charity venture... To some people in the fan community, the timing might fuel cynical speculation as to some nefarious desire to "cash in". I shan't worry about that; my team rest well at night knowing they were working hard on this long before "This Is It" was announced. I hope that the majority of fans will suspend cynicism and choose to judge MJNI on what it actually does now, and not on when it does it...
For the sake of brevity; we are planning to focus on the things we always did best - original MJ-friendly journalism and, at some point down the line, special events. Beyond that, I'm really not ready to discuss the exact services and products we'll be providing, though I do hope you'll be pleasantly surprised with some of the decisions we have made. Wait and see!
Ownership of MJ News International UK Ltd (the full name of the old fan club business, by the way) rests with Gloria Haydock. However, that's a different entity, quite separate to the MJNI we will be launching this summer. We considered a whole new name, but I'll admit to having pride in much of what we achieved all those years ago. Gloria's tragic personal circumstances meant the club feel into decline; call me a sucker for hard luck cases, but I felt compelled to see if we could restore some of the trust and faith the fans once had in MJNI. And hey - if it doesn't last, at least we tried!
Again, thank you so much for your keen interest - please share this email reply with any other MJ fans who might be wondering what's happening. I haven't been making any grand announcements about MJNI because I think that's a little pompous and, at least until we're actually launching, somewhat premature.
I will tell you this, because it's deeply important to me and it has shaped much of the direction of the new MJNI; I believe the old days of "grand imperial" fan clubs is antiquated and doomed to failure. We're focused on creating a fan experience that embraces fan clubs, fan sites and fan communities everywhere, one and offline, without all those old-fashioned bitter rivalries and the very public condescension expressed by those who are seen as leaders in the fan world. This might not make much sense now - I hope it will be clearer when we launch in the summer.
Right - I'm off. Lots to do! Thanks again, I really appreciate you taking the time to get in touch.
Very warmest wishes
Liam
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