My Next Book: Michael Jackson, Inc. Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Forbes Staff

[HIStory]

ALLMEDIANY: Lines in his autobiography helped channel him into Michael Jackson, Inc., but did you have any inquiries he could’ve answered?

Z.O.G.: I think I would’ve asked him what stopped him from touring more or putting out music more frequently toward the end of his life. My feeling is, the answer is he didn’t think it was good enough, or that it wasn’t up to his incredibly exacting standards—but I would’ve been curious to hear what he said.

You know ^^ he keeps saying his perfectionism was the reason he did not tour much or make many albums. I always filter in the effects of the allegations and media persecution which drained his spirit, emotions, energy, and his sleeping problems. If you are not at peace internally, how are you going to create good songs or get the motivation to create new music, dance, and even go on tour? I don't think perfectionism is the only thing that stood in his way. Also, I think in the beginning he deliberately spaced his album/touring activities. Later in life, I think external factors, like the allegations played a role. I guess Zack is a business/financial major, so these mental/emotional issues were not factored in. Also, he may not want to mention the media's culpability since he is a writer and needs the media.

I agree with this completely. I have not yet read the book (but I plan to buy it), but to say it was his perfectionism that was his downfall or that hindered him putting out more albums and touring more, that's a bit too simplicistic. Like Greenburg said in an earlier interview right before the allegations hit in 1993 Michael was into movie making, that was the direction that he was trying to go, but then the allegations ruined those plans. Who knows how far he could have gone on that area? Although, objectively I don't think he was by far as talented of an actor as he he was a musician, but of course, acting isn't the only thing he could have done in movies. For one, I think he could have been involved in Dreamworks with Spielberg and Co. and we know how highly successful that company became.

Also he stopped touring the US altogether and IMO that also had a lot to do with the allegations. As well as the fact that often critics unfairly trashed his music. Actually often reviews did not even focus on the music but were full of ad hominem attacks. So of course, with that then you can lose confidence and motivation and you become more worried about putting out anything new.

I always hear other people say he wanted to top Thriller, but have any of you guys ever heard Michael say that? I am curious. I know the media and everyone who talks to him mention how something was not like Thriller, but when did Michael say it? I could see him saying such and such an album will sell XYZ amount.

The only thing I can remember that note before Bad about wanting to sell 100,000,000 copies of it. I think it's things like that from which people conclude he was chasing Thriller. I think he set such goals for himself to motivate himself, but I don't think he really considered it a tragedy if his follow-up albums did not outsell Thriller. IMO he understood what a great phenomenon Thriller was and how hard it would be to outsell it. If he had been chasing Thriller that much as claimed then he would not have evolved musically. He would have tried to stick to the Thriller sound and recreate that and instead of leaving Quincy he would have kept working with him. In actuality, all of his subsequent albums sound different to Thriller. He evolved and he made brave steps in trying new things and working with new people. So it's not like the media says that he kept chasing and tried to recreate Thriller all his life. Commercially he did have that desire, but artistically he did not attempt to recreate Thriller.

 

[Bubs]

I too think it was his goal that he set for himself, kind of mind- map thingy that Frank talked about in his book. If you remember seeing the notes http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/t...dwritten-notes-from-Jackson-AEG-trial-motions that were brought out in AEG trial, all of them were about him to aim high. I don't see Michael as person who would say "I try to do what I can and hope for the best", he set the goals and tried to make them happen. Sometimes they happened, sometimes didn't.

 

[etoile 37]

You know ^^ he keeps saying his perfectionism was the reason he did not tour much or make many albums. I always filter in the effects of the allegations and media persecution which drained his spirit, emotions, energy, and his sleeping problems. If you are not at peace internally, how are you going to create good songs or get the motivation to create new music, dance, and even go on tour? I don't think perfectionism is the only thing that stood in his way. Also, I think in the beginning he deliberately spaced his album/touring activities. Later in life, I think external factors, like the allegations played a role. I guess Zack is a business/financial major, so these mental/emotional issues were not factored in. Also, he may not want to mention the media's culpability since he is a writer and needs the media.

And adding to all that, he also had three young children to raise.

 

[Paris78]

Thanks @zogblog for dropping by #REVOLTLive on @revolttv today to discuss his new book Michael Jackson, Inc.

Robert Klara @UpperEastRob · June 6th

A fascinating, non-sensational look at the biz side of @michaeljackson in this Q&A w/@prnightmare13 and @zogblog: http://bit.ly/TaEE41

 

[Petrarose]

Any news about sales? I know about the acknowledgement on Amazon. Congratulations Zack, and know that it is due to Michael that you got that. After all Michael is the subject matter.

I notice that these non-sensational books about Michael get awards, like Bush's book. I hope that gives others the idea of focusing books about Michael away from the usual foolishness.

 

[Memefan]

I read the so called review on WallStreetJ , what a hateful piece of shit . I tried to comment but for unknown reason I could not. It's astonishing to see the amount of jealousy and envy directed at MJ . The article has nothing to do with the book , it is certainly not a review of it but a rehash of the tabloids' stories for the last 30 years. The hate and envy can't be any more obvious. Murdoch and his cronies can't allow the public to view MJ as a smart man. I will keep my mouth shut as I don't want to get banned.

Not so fast....maybe the WSJ writer DID in fact read the book. Because from my own pov, a big chunk of MJInc is mostly a rehash of 30 years of tabloid stories with business information peppered here and there, without much empirical date to support the assumption or the numbers.

This is DEFINITELY not the "Business-focused" book we were promised.I read it in 2 days. Not because it was a page turner..far from it. I am a fast reader when MJ is the subject.

This book was a disappointment for me. Waiting to see what others think.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

ETA: I haven't read the WSJ review yet but will right after this post and may amend or update this post.

 

[Memefan]

MJ fans who are sneering at the WSJ reviewer OBVIOUSLY haven't read the book. EVERY single thing he noted in his review appear in the book. Only thing I noted that did not (and may be the reviewer's own addition) is this:

Preternaturally talented, childlike but perhaps a child molester, he entranced millions, earned nearly $2 billion and left a shadowed legacy.

Nowhere in the book does he insinuate MJ was a molester, although both accusations are covered at length.

I think some are barking at the wrong tree... and one thing I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer on: the author hasn't made a strong case that MJ was a savvy businessman. Not when McCartney, Branca, Johnson, Burkle, Barrack are positioned as much behind some of his biggest business coups, as MJ himself.

 

[SheilaMJFan4Ever]

Re: My Next Book: Michael Jackson, Inc.

This sounds very promising. A topic that's not often discussed or a side of Michael that tends to get overlooked. These are the types of books we need on Michael. I'll be getting this

wow..., finaly something relevant...

Mike's business savvy is just as interesting as his entertainment skills. I'll definitely buy this book!

 

[Petrarose]

MJ fans who are sneering at the WSJ reviewer OBVIOUSLY haven't read the book. EVERY single thing he noted in his review appear in the book. Only thing I noted that did not (and may be the reviewer's own addition) is this:



Nowhere in the book does he insinuate MJ was a molester, although both accusations are covered at length.

I think some are barking at the wrong tree... and one thing I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer on: the author hasn't made a strong case that MJ was a savvy businessman. Not when McCartney, Branca, Johnson, Burkle, Barrack are positioned as much behind some of his biggest business coups, as MJ himself.

Well in a sense Michael was if he dictated what the Branca, etc., should do and took part in the process. Now if michael just sat at home and Branca, etc., made all the decisions without Michael taking part then that would be different.

By the way what were you expecting from the book? It seems to me you are saying that this reporter is saying it was Branca and others who were the good business men and not Michael. Is that the case?

How shadowed is his legacy as this reporter states, if we still buy his albums by the millions and his themed shows are making millions. It means the shadowed legacy is really something that is perpetuated by some journalists rather than the legacy of Michael itself. Him saying that just shows the mindset of the journalist as far as I am concerned. What does that have to do with Zack's book, and why is it necessary to insert it? Why is it necessary to tell the reader about a shadow in this subliminal way?

I will only read this book while on the plane on the 26th so I have not read it yet. I have no real preconceived notions about the book, so I will be reading it with an almost "free mind."

 

[Memefan]

Petrarose, I expected exactly what he advertised: a strong Business-focused book.

we already have Taraborelli's for all the rest.

Again, that is only my opinion; maybe you will get more from this book then I did. If that is the case, good for you. Money well spent.

 

[max000]

MJ fans who are sneering at the WSJ reviewer OBVIOUSLY haven't read the book. EVERY single thing he noted in his review appear in the book. Only thing I noted that did not (and may be the reviewer's own addition) is this:



Nowhere in the book does he insinuate MJ was a molester, although both accusations are covered at length.

I think some are barking at the wrong tree... and one thing I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer on: the author hasn't made a strong case that MJ was a savvy businessman. Not when McCartney, Branca, Johnson, Burkle, Barrack are positioned as much behind some of his biggest business coups, as MJ himself.

Read the excerpt from Greenburg book that's posted here. And McCartney, Branca et al comes across as the ones with the business acumen,the brains behind the man. Thank god i have zero desire to purchase MJ books.

 

[Petrarose]

Petrarose, I expected exactly what he advertised: a strong Business-focused book.

we already have Taraborelli's for all the rest.

Again, that is only my opinion; maybe you will get more from this book then I did. If that is the case, good for you. Money well spent.

Soon I will find out.

 

[HIStory]

MJ fans who are sneering at the WSJ reviewer OBVIOUSLY haven't read the book. EVERY single thing he noted in his review appear in the book. Only thing I noted that did not (and may be the reviewer's own addition) is this:



Nowhere in the book does he insinuate MJ was a molester, although both accusations are covered at length.

I think some are barking at the wrong tree... and one thing I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer on: the author hasn't made a strong case that MJ was a savvy businessman. Not when McCartney, Branca, Johnson, Burkle, Barrack are positioned as much behind some of his biggest business coups, as MJ himself.

To me it's enough to sneer at a "review" if it insinuates MJ was a child molester. That was not necessary to put in this article, esp. that the book does not say that and its main theme has nothing to do with the allegations. This remark alone takes away the feeling of this review being professional and unbiased. (And it's kind of sad, because in the BGs book we read MJ read only the WSJ because that was the only paper that did not have gossip. But here we go...)

I have only read extracts so far, like the extract about the purchase of the Beatles catalogue but I did not find anything wrong with it. No one exists in a vacuum. That Michael had advisors and executors of his decisions does not mean it cancels his business acumen. Every major businessman has advisors. It is a well known fact that McCartney gave him the idea of buying publishing rights. In the Beatles catalogue story at least Branca is portrayed more as an executor of Michael's decision, not someone who came up with the whole idea. Johnson is portrayed as the only member of that investment commitee who agreed with going ahead and buying the catalogue. But how does that take away from Michael?

Here is the note mentioned in the book. It also references Johnson's advice:

 

[HIStory]

Read the excerpt from Greenburg book that's posted here. And McCartney, Branca et al comes across as the ones with the business acumen,the brains behind the man. Thank god i have zero desire to purchase MJ books.

Sometimes I wonder why are some MJ fans so oversensitive? It's like they want MJ to be portrayed as some kind of superhero who did everything all alone and did not need anyone else and if he is not portrayed like that then they take offense in it. What is wrong in mentioning McCartney first showed Michael his catalogue and how he bought music publishing rights which gave Michael the idea? How does that take away from Michael and make McCartney the "brain behind the man"? No one exists in a vacuum. We all learn and there is no shame in learning something from someone else. McCartney too learned it from someone earlier.

And Branca is portrayed as an executor of Michael's decision. What did you want to read? That Michael travelled the world all alone to negotiate with Holmes a Court himself? That doesn't work like that. Plus Branca was a lawyer, he was more knowledable about contracts, deals and the whole administrative side than Michael was. That does not take away from Michael's business acumen as the decision was his and it's clearly said in the story that he made that decision despite of the protest of most of his advisors. The story's conclusion is that his business instinct and acumen was better in this case than his advisors'.

I'm not sure how some fans can take offense in this story. It's like some fans try so hard to take offense in everything.

 

[max000]

Sometimes I wonder why are some MJ fans so oversensitive? It's like they want MJ to be portrayed as some kind of superhero who did everything all alone and did not need anyone else and if he is not portrayed like that then they take offense in it. What is wrong in mentioning McCartney first showed Michael his catalogue and how he bought music publishing rights which gave Michael the idea? How does that take away from Michael and make McCartney the "brain behind the man"? No one exists in a vacuum. We all learn and there is no shame in learning something from someone else. McCartney too learned it from someone earlier.

And Branca is portrayed as an executor of Michael's decision. What did you want to read? That Michael travelled the world all alone to negotiate with Holmes a Court himself? That doesn't work like that. Plus Branca was a lawyer, he was more knowledable about contracts, deals and the whole administrative side than Michael was. That does not take away from Michael's business acumen as the decision was his and it's clearly said in the story that he made that decision despite of the protest of most of his advisors. The story's conclusion is that his business instinct and acumen was better in this case than his advisors'.

I'm not sure how some fans can take offense in this story. It's like some fans try so hard to take offense in everything.

You assume too much. The purchase of beatles catolog, i read yrs ago in Taraborelli's book. And many including media praised MJ as quite the savvy business man. I am not getting that from Greenburg's book excerpt.

Not craving saintly protrayal,or MJ whitewashing. Fact is, i gravitate towards fans not afraid to be critical of MJ. I have never looked at MJ through rose-colored glasses. I see him, warts and all.

 

[Memefan]

Sometimes I wonder why are some MJ fans so oversensitive? It's like they want MJ to be portrayed as some kind of superhero who did everything all alone and did not need anyone else and if he is not portrayed like that then they take offense in it. What is wrong in mentioning McCartney first showed Michael his catalogue and how he bought music publishing rights which gave Michael the idea? How does that take away from Michael and make McCartney the "brain behind the man"? No one exists in a vacuum. We all learn and there is no shame in learning something from someone else. McCartney too learned it from someone earlier.

And Branca is portrayed as an executor of Michael's decision. What did you want to read? That Michael travelled the world all alone to negotiate with Holmes a Court himself? That doesn't work like that. Plus Branca was a lawyer, he was more knowledable about contracts, deals and the whole administrative side than Michael was. That does not take away from Michael's business acumen as the decision was his and it's clearly said in the story that he made that decision despite of the protest of most of his advisors. The story's conclusion is that his business instinct and acumen was better in this case than his advisors'.

I'm not sure how some fans can take offense in this story. It's like some fans try so hard to take offense in everything.

Until you read the book yourself, I will refrain from responding to these grandiose retorts. Because they are not based on the facts at hand [which one would only get from reading the actual book]

but you tried it....

Read the excerpt from Greenburg book that's posted here. And McCartney, Branca et al comes across as the ones with the business acumen,the brains behind the man. Thank god i have zero desire to purchase MJ books.

The excerpt doesn't do justice to the whole Sony|ATV acquisition section; yes MJ gave Branca the go ahead to buy the catalogue but the hoops & loops he went through to get it was more fascinating to me. He was a conniving mf, and I ended up admiring him [Branca] even more for it. He earned that darn Bentley.

From the book, MJ's business savviness is illustrated with him going ahead with Sony/ATV & wanting to purchase Marvel's comics. While most of the other examples he gave, thriller video, LA Gear, 2 Seas and many more, don't show MJ 's business acumen. MJ needed ppl to cajole him into respecting his commitments. That's not a good trait in business: re: Captain EO, Qunicy Jones production credit, Geffen come together, Thriller video, .............

and to drill that point further in readers, Ron Burkle, Yetnikoff & Donald 's quotes "that MJ NEEDED someone to tell him NO" show that MJ was limited to & by those around him. When he had great ppl surrounding him in the '80s things went well, when he was surrounded by crooks like Weisner, Randy Jackson (that he hired himself) ....well things went very bad. So what/who is the common the thread in this story?

I used to think MJ was more business savvy before reading this book, now I think he was a bit like the other members of his family when it comes to business, but he had good intention & was book smart. And for a short while had great advisors backing, pushing, giving him the hard facts.

And the author made it very clear, MJ wanted to monetize his likeness / talent because he wanted to break records [first to do this, first to earn that amount, biggest contract, highest paid...] not necessarily because he wanted to make more money. He wanted titles. Yeah!

 

[HIStory]

You assume too much. The purchase of beatles catolog, i read yrs ago in Taraborelli's book. And many including media praised MJ as quite the savvy business man. I am not getting that from Greenburg's book excerpt.

Not craving saintly protrayal,or MJ whitewashing. Fact is, i gravitate towards fans not afraid to be critical of MJ. I have never looked at MJ through rose-colored glasses. I see him, warts and all.

What exactly Greenburg should have added to the story to make Michael look like a savvy businessman?

 

[HIStory]

Until you read the book yourself, I will refrain from responding to these grandiose retorts. Because they are not based on the facts at hand [which one would only get from reading the actual book]

but you tried it....

Actually, that was a reply to max000 whose post was about an excerpt that was posted here and I did read it, thank you.

So basically you guys are disappointed to find out that MJ was not quiet the savvy businessman you imagined him to be? Well, he wasn't a businessman. He was an artists. You cannot be the greatest at everything. He made some great business decisions which really came from instincts which were rather dictated by artistic reasons (eg. in the case of the Beatles catalogue his whole reasoning about the Beatles music being like a Picasso etc.) or/and pride (a black man "owning" the Beatles/Elvis) etc. I never imagined him to be a Rockefeller, so maybe that's why I'm not disappointed by what I have read from the book so far.

 

[Petrarose]

Respect I like your posts.

Memefan ^^well if titles and acquisition motivated him to act then so be it. He always said he was not interested in the money for money sake. It was not the money that motivated him, so just because the money did not motivate him, it does not mean he was not business savvy. If he wants the best selling album, it is obvious that the best selling album means a lot of money; it is a given. Then, if the best selling will earn about 12 million, there is no need to focus on making $12 million just focus on making the best selling album. The thing is Michael thought differently from others, and it may be difficult for some to understand that because it is not the way most people are motivated. Just revisit Moonwalk to get a sense of that.

I still don't see how what you wrote took away from his business savvy. It is true he always wanted the best, best people to work with; best show; best album; etc., etc., so that is what motivated him--being on top of the game and working with the best. So he found the best in Branca, so what. He had to be cajoled to go through with some commitments. That does not dismiss the fact that he had good ideas and got people to get the deals he wanted. He pays people to do what he wants them to do, and it is Branca's responsibility to do exactly that.

About your comment about when he had bad advisors he did not do well, well of course. No matter how good your ideas, you need someone to execute it in a top notch way, mainly because that is not your expertise. Therefore, his empire fell partly due to that. What people are confusing is that creation of ideas/concepts/plans are different from the execution of them, and these involve different skills. Therefore, Michael may have a plan, e.g., I want that catelog; get it for me. However, he may not have the skills to go and try all types of tricks to get it. Hence you get someone like Branca to do it. That is why great business men keep a high powered team around them to tackle the tings they do not have the acumen to do. In spite of all that the person can still have a good sense of business about what will increase in value.


I will read this and see if I feel he is like his family, like you did. Actually I think that is a big insult to a person.

 

[Memefan]

Actually, that was a reply to max000 whose post was about an excerpt that was posted here and I did read it, thank you.

So basically you guys are disappointed to find out that MJ was not quiet the savvy businessman you imagined him to be? Well, he wasn't a businessman. He was an artists. You cannot be the greatest at everything. He made some great business decisions which really came from instincts which were rather dictated by artistic reasons (eg. in the case of the Beatles catalogue his whole reasoning about the Beatles music being like a Picasso etc.) or/and pride (a black man "owning" the Beatles/Elvis) etc. I never imagined him to be a Rockefeller, so maybe that's why I'm not disappointed by what I have read from the book so far.

No i am disappointed because this book didn't bring anything new to the table.

I think of MJ as an artist...I've questioned his business acumen many times, because of the horrendous mistakes he made (with plenty of help) in the latter years that almost brought everything he worked for down.

I was expecting this book to own up to its promise, and I realized I learned little to no new valuable information because a lot of his sources are published materials. I don't believe he did much research at all. Had he done that, he would have come up with a much more interesting, truthful and complete portrait of MJ as a businessman. And yes, MJ was a businessman (I am not sure what you meant by he wasn't a businessman: He had several companies, had employees, invested in different ventures...I'd say he was a businessman)

Last night, I thought maybe I read the book through the eyes of a business major, but no...I am sure most people who pick up this "business-focused- book" would want to know his business models. Instead of wasting pages on molestation, Lisa Marie, Elizabeth Taylor flying to Mexico or MJ doing homework with the Cascios, I would have liked to read how he setup MJJ productions and his rationale in creating so many different companies in Delaware (I know why, but it should have been in there because not many people know).

No mention of Triumph international (a major asset for MJ)..No mention of MJJ productions (We must have dreamed this one)...A real account of what happened with Spielberg, Geffen, Katzenberg, Jackson consortium (again no mention).

Anyway, if others enjoy this book and learn a thing or two great, for me it was a major letdown....it will be a looooooooong while before I buy another Michael Jackson book.

And one thing that threw me over the edge, him quoting Jermaine about how happy MJ was when he came back from Ireland. He just used random sources whether reliable or not. SMDH.

I will read this and see if I feel he is like his family, like you did. Actually I think that is a big insult to a person.

Petrarose, I didn't want to quote the whole post, because mine is already quite long. Yeah, I know, it SHOULD be viewed as an insult under normal circumstances. lol... But MJ did have some family trait, he was partly a product of his environment (choke self for writing that) no matter how much he wanted to shake that off. But I've always said, MJ had something his family didn't: He was intelligent and well-read and I think that made a huge difference.
2nd: money is ALWAYS ALWAYS a motivation. Even for nonprofit organizations, you need money to stay in business, you need money to provide services...MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. That is a fact. And seeing how it affected him that older black entertainers were in deep financial difficulties, I have a hard time believing he didn't factor in money from those deals. Art was his priority. But money must have been on his mind.

From reading the book, yes he was driven, a perfectionist, very competitive, knowledgeable...but I am still on the fence about his business savviness. Maybe had Greenburg researched his subject properly, he could have unearthed great information in support of it, but he didn't.

But I am really happy you will read the book...I am interested to read your opinion . If after reading it, you still don't agree with the "cajole" bit, I will explain further.

ETA: Another fail for the book: We know MJ donated proceeds from the Dangerous tour to charity? So he must have gotten a major tax write off (no mention). What happened to Heal the World - The charity? Why was it shut down? impact of these tax write offs on his other companies. No mention.

 

[Memefan]

Actually, that was a reply to max000 whose post was about an excerpt that was posted here and I did read it, thank you.

So basically you guys are disappointed to find out that MJ was not quiet the savvy businessman you imagined him to be? Well, he wasn't a businessman. He was an artists. You cannot be the greatest at everything. He made some great business decisions which really came from instincts which were rather dictated by artistic reasons (eg. in the case of the Beatles catalogue his whole reasoning about the Beatles music being like a Picasso etc.) or/and pride (a black man "owning" the Beatles/Elvis) etc. I never imagined him to be a Rockefeller, so maybe that's why I'm not disappointed by what I have read from the book so far.

I am critiquing the book, not MJ. Ok, true... I still think some of the people he hired were ....kookoo, but overall this is about Greeburg's book.

i am happy with MJ being the greatest entertainer of all time. That is quite enough for me. MJ was never my business model, I never viewed him as the conniving (ok. i should rethink that after the Quincy Jones bit.lol), ruthless guy...and that's fine. I had Steve Job for that...But for over a year, Greenburg had promised a well-researched, business-focused book on MJ, and I was happy to give this book a chance. I did...and I shared my opinion with you guys.

And now, I am waiting for others to read it and share theirs..maybe I will agree with some and disagree with others. But it is not that deep. REALLY.

 

[Warszawa320]

No i am disappointed because this book didn't bring anything new to the table.

I think of MJ as an artist...I've questioned his business acumen many times, because of the horrendous mistakes he made (with plenty of help) in the latter years that almost brought everything he worked for down.

I was expecting this book to own up to its promise, and I realized I learned little to no new valuable information because a lot of his sources are published materials. I don't believe he did much research at all. Had he done that, he would have come up with a much more interesting, truthful and complete portrait of MJ as a businessman. And yes, MJ was a businessman (I am not sure what you meant by he wasn't a businessman: He had several companies, had employees, invested in different ventures...I'd say he was a businessman)

Last night, I thought maybe I read the book through the eyes of a business major, but no...I am sure most people who pick up this "business-focused- book" would want to know his business models. Instead of wasting pages on molestation, Lisa Marie, Elizabeth Taylor flying to Mexico or MJ doing homework with the Cascios, I would have liked to read how he setup MJJ productions and his rationale in creating so many different companies in Delaware (I know why, but it should have been in there because not many people know).

No mention of Triumph international (a major asset for MJ)..No mention of MJJ productions (We must have dreamed this one)...A real account of what happened with Spielberg, Geffen, Katzenberg, Jackson consortium (again no mention).

Anyway, if others enjoy this book and learn a thing or two great, for me it was a major letdown....it will be a looooooooong while before I buy another Michael Jackson book.

And one thing that threw me over the edge, him quoting Jermaine about how happy MJ was when he came back from Ireland. He just used random sources whether reliable or not. SMDH.



Petrarose, I didn't want to quote the whole post, because mine is already quite long. Yeah, I know, it SHOULD be viewed as an insult under normal circumstances. lol... But MJ did have some family trait, he was partly a product of his environment (choke self for writing that) no matter how much he wanted to shake that off. But I've always said, MJ had something his family didn't: He was intelligent and well-read and I think that made a huge difference.
2nd: money is ALWAYS ALWAYS a motivation. Even for nonprofit organizations, you need money to stay in business, you need money to provide services...MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. That is a fact. And seeing how it affected him that older black entertainers were in deep financial difficulties, I have a hard time believing he didn't factor in money from those deals. Art was his priority. But money must have been on his mind.

From reading the book, yes he was driven, a perfectionist, very competitive, knowledgeable...but I am still on the fence about his business savviness. Maybe had Greenburg researched his subject properly, he could have unearthed great information in support of it, but he didn't.

But I am really happy you will read the book...I am interested to read your opinion . If after reading it, you still don't agree with the "cajole" bit, I will explain further.

ETA: Another fail for the book: We know MJ donated proceeds from the Dangerous tour to charity? So he must have gotten a major tax write off (no mention). What happened to Heal the World - The charity? Why was it shut down? impact of these tax write offs on his other companies. No mention.

Thank you very much for this post I totally agree with almost everything you wrote about.

 

[HIStory]

No i am disappointed because this book didn't bring anything new to the table.

I think of MJ as an artist...I've questioned his business acumen many times, because of the horrendous mistakes he made (with plenty of help) in the latter years that almost brought everything he worked for down.

I was expecting this book to own up to its promise, and I realized I learned little to no new valuable information because a lot of his sources are published materials. I don't believe he did much research at all. Had he done that, he would have come up with a much more interesting, truthful and complete portrait of MJ as a businessman. And yes, MJ was a businessman (I am not sure what you meant by he wasn't a businessman: He had several companies, had employees, invested in different ventures...I'd say he was a businessman)

Last night, I thought maybe I read the book through the eyes of a business major, but no...I am sure most people who pick up this "business-focused- book" would want to know his business models. Instead of wasting pages on molestation, Lisa Marie, Elizabeth Taylor flying to Mexico or MJ doing homework with the Cascios, I would have liked to read how he setup MJJ productions and his rationale in creating so many different companies in Delaware (I know why, but it should have been in there because not many people know).

No mention of Triumph international (a major asset for MJ)..No mention of MJJ productions (We must have dreamed this one)...A real account of what happened with Spielberg, Geffen, Katzenberg, Jackson consortium (again no mention).

OK, fair enough. It's indeed disappointing if it doesn't have any info about all these things. To not to mention something like MJJ Productions (which is one of his main companies) or Triumph International in a book about his business indeed is a letdown.

I'm planning to buy it later and I liked the extracts, esp. the one about the catalogue. I knew some things but I didn't know about all the back and forths with Holmes a Court, so it was interesting to me.

From reading the book, yes he was driven, a perfectionist, very competitive, knowledgeable...but I am still on the fence about his business savviness.

I always thought that Michael was an artist through and through and as such he was more of an instinctive being than a rational, calculated one. Therefore I never saw him as a person who would put much time and effort in calculating business decisions and moves - that is what I meant when I said he wasn't a businessman. Sometimes his instincts lead him to great decisions (Beatles catalogue etc.), sometimes they didn't. The "savvy businessman" aspect might have been exaggerated all these years, but I'm not surprised by that.

 

[ivy]

For a while I have struggled how to review this book. I'll call it underwhelming. The best thing is the exclusive interviews the author did with many people such as John Branca, Walter Yetnikoff, Berry Gordy, Karen Langford, Sandy Gallin and especially Tom Barrack which gives us some details we didn't know. However over all I would say the the new information wasn't as much or as detailed as I hoped. I have to mention here that most probably I'm personally quite knowledgeable in regards to MJ's business matters so for some other people the book might be more than satisfactory.

What Memefan was saying could be explained by this quote “The business was me, and the imaging and marketing was Frank, and Michael oversaw both,” says Branca. “So Michael was the chairman and we reported to him.”. While some decisions and ideas came from Michael - such as buying catalogs, deciding to buy ATV catalog or wanting to get his masters back, the planning and how to achieve these goals are done by others. As Dieter Wiesner says Michael knew what he wanted to do. There are multiple other quotes that mention how much attention MJ paid and how knowledgeable he was as well. So he gets credit in that regard.

Some examples doesn't make Michael look good such as LA Gear deal which pretty much tanked because Michael did not deliver what he was supposed to at the required time. Multiple examples such as Days of Thunder or Motown 25 is about Michael not keeping his promises. Some other stories such as not wanting Quincy Jones get producer credit and making Yetnikoff to call Davis of Arista records to stop releasing Jermaine - Michael duet as a single so that it won't compete with MJ solo singles might even seem petty.

One thing Greenburg says and I agree is that Michael paved the way and was an example for today's musicians. For example Jay Z (I read Greenburg's Jay Z book as well) has got back his masters, has a clothing line, a shoe line, a beverage line and so on. Many other musicians such as 50 cent, Gaga, Timberlake, today have similar business lines. So Greenburg credits Michael for it and I believe he is right. Michael was the first multi million dollar celebrity endorser (Pepsi deal), he had his own shoe line (LA Gear which failed) and even started his own clothing line (in 1984 which again failed).

and some quotes

Jackson had received 32 percent of wholesale on his previous record; Branca got that number bumped up to 37 percent escalating to 39 percent— about 20 percent of retail— the highest rate in the industry at the time. The deal called for Jackson to earn more than thirty times what he’d made at Motown ( where each brother earned about 1 percent of wholesale) and guaranteed the label would retain the Jacksons even if Michael left the group.

Branca added another handy stipulation to the deal: Jackson’s five-album deal, which began with Off the Wall, would be governed by California law, the only such agreement in the New York– based CBS Records family. That may sound like a triviality, which is likely why the label didn’t put up a fight. But it was actually quite a shrewd move —unlike New York, the Golden State’s regulations stipulated that an employee had the right to terminate any contract after seven years —and it gave Jackson’s team a great deal of leverage for future renegotiations.

-------------------------

Jackson had another reason for wanting to take his time with the album. He believed he could get out of his latest Sony contract in 2000 and simply sell the new material to the highest bidder. Back when he signed his first solo contract with Sony’s predecessor, CBS, Branca had insisted that the agreement be governed by California law, which would allow Jackson to terminate it after seven years if he saw fit. The singer assumed the same statutes held true.

As Jackson discovered in the mid -1990s, however, the contract had been reworked by one of Branca’s replacements. Three albums were added to his original five-album deal, along with massive penalties for early termination —as much as $ 20 million for each album he didn’t complete— which effectively nullified the benefits of the California law clause. Jackson eventually determined that he could leave the label only after delivering Invincible and a greatest hits album.

--------

“He was not a foolish man,”Donald David recalls. “People try to picture him as being childlike. It doesn’t work with the guy I spoke to when I was deposing him.”
------

(2007 net worth) According to a report prepared by the accounting firm Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, Jackson’s assets had a gross value of $ 567 million— led by his Sony/ ATV stake ($ 390.6 million), Neverland ($ 33 million), and a collection of cars and antiques ($ 20 million)— but he had debts of $ 331 million. His cash reserves: just $ 668,215.

---------------

Burkle had tried to suggest ways for Jackson to dig himself out. “‘You have an option to make $ 100 million a year whenever you want,’ ” he explained. “[ Michael] goes, ‘I don’t want to work, don’t make me work.’ I go, ‘I’m not making you work. I’m just telling you there’s only three things in life for you: don’t spend so much money , sell things that I don’t think you should sell, or go to work. You just have to pick one of the three.’ He’d recoil at the thought of going to work, it just horrified him.”

------------------

Branca had left for a family vacation in Mexico just days earlier, planning to rest up before meeting Jackson in London to help launch his comeback. When he returned to Southern California, he asked his colleagues if they had a will for Jackson. They did— two, to be exact —and a different firm found another, from 1997 (the singer had continued to create new documents as his children were born), and Branca had been named as an executor on all three of them.

Along with John McClain, the music industry veteran and longtime Jackson associate who’d been named as a coexecutor on the most recent will (dated July 7, 2002), Branca submitted the document to probate court. Since he hadn’t been involved with Jackson’s affairs for the bulk of the past few years, he didn’t know if a newer will existed. But as time went on and nothing surfaced, it became clear that the duo would be leading Michael Jackson, Inc. after its founder’s death.

----------------

“His creditors could say that, due to his passing, the owners of the estate have to make good on his debt in sixty days,” said Chris White, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan, shortly after Jackson’s death. “Then you’d have to put this joint venture on the block, and that would be a distressed sale.”

 

[Memefan]

OK, fair enough. It's indeed disappointing if it doesn't have any info about all these things. To not to mention something like MJJ Productions (which is one of his main companies) or Triumph International in a book about his business indeed is a letdown.

I'm planning to buy it later and I liked the extracts, esp. the one about the catalogue. I knew some things but I didn't know about all the back and forths with Holmes a Court, so it was interesting to me.



I always thought that Michael was an artist through and through and as such he was more of an instinctive being than a rational, calculated one. Therefore I never saw him as a person who would put much time and effort in calculating business decisions and moves - that is what I meant when I said he wasn't a businessman. Sometimes his instincts lead him to great decisions (Beatles catalogue etc.), sometimes they didn't. The "savvy businessman" aspect might have been exaggerated all these years, but I'm not surprised by that.[/QUOTE]

Oh great. Glad you will be reading it too. I think we will be able to have a balanced and far more interesting discussion after Petrarose & you have read it.

Funnily enough, I don't even care about him being a savvy businessman, what I love & respect most is his intelligence. Many artists don't care about the money side of things, but MJ learned & understood business very well and was involved in every aspect of things. He was the captain of his ship & good or not, he had the final say. I appreciate that about him.

i admit I had kind of a high expectation because this was to be the first book of its kind. One thing that came out of this book, I am now more fascinated how MJ created/lost/got robbed of his wealth. There have been so many lawsuits against MJ in his lifetime, I figured with Forbes resources, he would go through them and present a minefield of new information. Yeah, again my expectation was a bit much. Maybe.

But the information is out there. If I had the financial resource, I'd invest time into finding answers to so many questions. Because quite frankly, I refused to believe buying antiques put such a strain on MJ's huge empire. There has to be more to this.

@Ivy any way for you to interview Greenburg?

And yes, the De Havilland law (7-year contract) Branca negotiated into the CBS' contract was one of the few things I learned from the book. That and Branca scheming for Sony/ATV were some of the highlights for me.

 

[Petrarose]

Memefan okay I see what you are saying, but this thing aobut Money is always a motivation, that is not true. POWER can be more a motivation than money. Look at Bloomberg. The first year in office he took a buck for his pay. He was motivated by power. My motivation is always money, but my sister wants power. She will have leadership in all sorts of things and be known in her community and gets no money for that; but she is happy because she is well known. I don't care for power or to be famous. I just want money, so I will always look for something that gives a big dividend as a motivation. Maybe I am not a nice person, but that is my motivation. Also when you talk about nonprofit organization to tie in about money is always a motivation, again you are mixing up two things: Money as needed and Money as a motivation. These things are not the same. The non-profit needs money but the motivation of the non-profit is to feed the hungry, save souls, take care of the less unfortunate, send money to distant lands, etc. They are not motivated by money but they need money--two different things.

For Michael yes he likes money, yes he lives a rich life and needs money for that, but still in his creating process he is motivated not by the money but by being the BEST!! I know it may be hard for some to understand this but there are people who are not motivated by money. The money is nice and comes with the act of being Tops.


You see you had all those things in your head ^^ that you thought the book would discuss, so no wonder you are disappointed. You wanted to see business models and learn new thing, but Zack did not know you had all the information already. It seems Zack just settled on a type of book that the average joe would be able to understand. Like the bodyguards he compromised. By the way, when Zack was answering questions and tweeting, he did list all the fools he was talking to to get information. He mention the family, and others. I remember I made some comment about that at the time, so you should have known that his material would be shaky. Look at who he talked to.

Anyway it is nice having this discussion with you.

 

[Gold Pants Girl]

I have the book, but I haven't read it yet. Any mention of his failed deals with Kingdom Entertainment, MDP Worldwide, HollywoodTicket.com, etc...?

 

[Memefan]

Memefan okay I see what you are saying, but this thing aobut Money is always a motivation, that is not true. POWER can be more a motivation than money. My motivation is always money, but my sister wants power. She will have leadership in all sorts of things and be known in her community and gets no money for that; but she is happy because she is well known. I don't care for power or to be famous. I just want money, so I will always look for something that gives a big dividend as a motivation. Maybe I am not a nice person, but that is my motivation.

For Michael yes he likes money, yes he lives a rich life and needs money for that, but still in his creating process he is motivated not by the money but by being the BEST!! I know it may be hard for some to understand this but there are people who are not motivated by money. The money is nice and comes with the act of being Tops.

Anyway it is nice having this discussion with you.

good point, but money and power often go hand in hand. See how MJ was viewed when he was at the top of the industry versus how the industry and public shun him in his later years?

I can't picture a "penniless" man being viewed as powerful. Influential? Maybe. Because let's be honest, POWER, is about other people' perception of you. And most associate money with power. In your sister's case, she might be viewed as a role model or an influencer, but without money, I'm not sure she will be viewed as powerful.

Can one be powerful without money? I dunno....

i agree with everything else in your post: MJ, creativity, motivation...etc.

 

[Petrarose]

Memefan your idea of a QA is good. I would like to see one, and please ask all the questions you have about why Zack did not include all the aspects you were looking for. It would be interesting to see what he has to say. Maybe you can send your questions to his facebook address or something like that. Anyway this is the first book of its kind, maybe we will have another one that is even better than this. At least we got the first one.

True power and money go hand in hand, but don't forget we are talking about what motivates the person, so motivation can still be power or being the best rather than money. Some want both power and money.

About your question can one be powerful without money--but of course. Gandhi was powerful without money. Nelson, before he became president was powerful without money. How about the rebels who have leaders that lack money but everyone in the community and the poor see them as powerful and follow their lead. These people have others more powerful than them, but that is not the point, you are asking if one could have power without money.

 

[Memefan]

I have the book, but I haven't read it yet. Any mention of his failed deals with Kingdom Entertainment, MDP Worldwide, HollywoodTicket.com, etc...?

I believe he covered KE in the Lisa Presley section (marriage real or fake, consummated ...). He quoted Cascio that MJ married LMP so he could go in business with the Prince. Sadly, he provided little little info of the deal: No financial data. No ownership split.

MDP & HT: No mention.