Official Statement From The Estate Of Michael Jackson To The Fans

[SmoothCollins]

I definitely hear Michael - I heard Michael at 11pm Sunday night when I heard the song the first time. I meant that it would be more reasonable to question the Estate if they had not had Sweiden, Freeze, Riley, etc. listen to the track and have the forensic analysis performed. But since they have stated all of this was done, I think some people (not saying you) are going far too overboard with these boycotts and their claims.

Thanks for a polite, reasonable reply to my post :cheers:

You're welcome *cheers back* . I respect your opinion then, if it's what you heard and you're sticking by it. Just remember that those of us who do not hear MJ as the main vocalist are just doing the same thing- you'd definately stand up for MJ against Sony if you felt that way too. Either way, I think the truth will come out in the end.

 

[Superstition]

How does the following not meet the criteria of scientific evidence?

The Estate then retained one of the best-known forensic musicologists in the nation to listen to the vocals without any instrumental accompaniment (“a cappella&#8221, and to compare them with a cappella vocals from previous Michael songs. This expert performed waveform analysis, an objective scientific test used to determine audio authenticity, on the Cascio tracks, as well as previously released tracks with Michael’s voice, and reported that ALL of the lead vocals analyzed (which included Cascio tracks) were the voice of Michael Jackson.

Sony Music conducted their own investigation by hiring yet a second well-respected forensic musicologist who also compared the a cappella lead vocals from Cascio tracks against previously released vocals of Michael's, and found that Michael’s voice was the on all sets of the raw vocals. The Cascio tracks were also played for two very prominent persons in the music industry who played crucial roles in Michael’s career. Both of these individuals believed that the lead vocals were Michael’s.

Just to be absolutely certain, I also contacted Jason Malachi, a young singer who some persons had wrongfully alleged was a “soundalike” singer that was hired to sing on the Cascio tracks, and I confirmed that he had no involvement with this project whatsoever.

Sony decided that, given the overwhelming objective evidence resulting from the exhaustive investigations outlined above, they wanted to release a record that included three of the Cascio-Porte tracks - because they believed, without reservation, that the lead vocal on all of those tracks were sung by Michael Jackson.

If they had to do all this, isn't that a good sign that maybe these tracks weren't the best choice for inclusion on Mike's first album of fully-unreleased material in 9 years, and the first big release after his passing?

Forget about whether its him or not. From a commercial standpoint, isn't that a strange idea?

 

[butterflies]

Re: Official Message From The Estate Of Michael Jackson To The Fans

I totally believe this!




IT'S HIM!!



Oh Yes- it is very unfortunate though because it is him.




Agree!



Yes, we should move on= it is MJ period = too much prove not to believe, but unfortunately ppl in this community won't move on- they will argue until eternity. Nit pick, nit pick. Even if they show you the sky is blue, they will still say it's black.




Most fans in this community are truly pathetic with that I totally agree!



They are stubborn as hell. The fans are their own worst enemies.



But all MJ fans have trained studio technicians ears, don't you know that? They are the experts. They were there in the studio when this track was recorded and they were also there for all 30+ years when Michael was recording every single one of his songs. NOT!!




Matty you've been posting in the "new album thread" since the very beginning as was I. Why would Bruce Swedien lie? Why would forensic musiculogists' reports lie? Why would all those ppl that worked with him lie? Sony and the estate went through great lenghts to assure this was an MJ authentic track. His lead vocals are his, the background vocals are sung by James Porte and Michael. What is unsual about that? He had background vocals sung by other singers in History and Invincible also.

How do we know how he sounded in 2007? The last time we heard him was 2001 right? We know his voice def. changed since BAD, it kept changing.

And remember this was a demo. Check out the Huffington post article by Vogel and try to be objective.

I personally love the song, it may not be perfect, well Michael wasn't here to produce it, but Teddy did a great job. I just love it- And I have a feeling even if there was no talk about his vocals, this fan community would have torn the song apart anyway. One thing that I know about this community (and I've been here over a year now) is that they are incredibly nit picky and negative. They were negative with Invincible too.

Matty - I hope you support this album, it is going to be great. I am so happy about it, and I wish all MJ fans would be too, but it doesn't seem to be the case which is a real shame.


[

No apparently it does not matter.This community is very arrogant imo. They know it all. They know MJ. They apparently worked with him in the studio and know more than Bruce Swedien, all the engineers and musicians that worked with MJ. And of course even fool proof evidence from forensics won't convince them. Pathetic that's all I have to say. And very very sad.



Yes, it is amazing. I love Michael!



That's my question. Go get forensic experts to prove it is not MJ, that's all they have to do.




True!

All I have to say is thank God for some fans here who are exhibiting some common sense and are being objective about this entire situation.

We just read a statement that clearly explains with detail the steps they took to assure this was authentic.

But some fans here still don't believe. How arrogant. I have a feeling even if Michael would come back fromthe dead and tell you it's him you wouldn't believe it.

I am now convinced that MJ fans are their own worst enemies at least here in this MJJC Community. To even say GAZ is lying that's ridiculous.

Michael's lead vocals and background vocals are in the song. Maybe with some processing, or whatever they do, I am no music expert at all, but I have been a fan over 25 years and I do know his voice has def. changed since BAD. The background vocals were sung by James Porte with Michael. History and Invincible had background vocals sung by others- what is so strange about that?

This overreaction is unbelievable - no come to think of it - not so for this community. You tie yourselves up in a pretzel over anything instead of keeping an open mind, and using some common sense and logic.

Why would Sony release a fake song? with mostly another singer in it? Sony and the estate are no fools. They went through great lengths to make sure it was authentic in order to avoid any legal rammifications. And then they go ahead and release a fake song? RIGHT!

If you don't like the songs fine. If you don't want to buy the album fine. Don't support Michael. There's plenty of fans and non fans that will buy the album. But if it flops, SONY won't be the worst for it, BUT Michael will.
The media again will have a feast- you know that. But do what you wish.

One more thing, knowing some of these fans, you would never be satisfied, you always seem to complain and whine about everything. You did with Invincible and you were going to without this incident. IMO it is very sad and pathetic. Michael is no longer here. We were never going to get a perfect album. Expectations shouldn't have been super high. I myself, will enjoy it thoroughly, in my mind it will be perfect, because it is his face, his name, his vocals,his music, his artisrry, his writing in this album. It is PERFECT TO ME!! And I am grateful to Michael for all he did!! Oh yes, and I am grateful to the Estate and Sony for giving us more Michael.

And I am no fool for believing in the estate and Sony. If you want to continue with all the conspiracy theories and anti Sony and anti Estate rants well go ahead.

I just feel bad for the fans that are all upset and angry for no reason. Right now as a fan base we should be incredibly grateful and super super excited that we have Michael to look forward to. REMEMBER he is no longer with us. Be grateful we have what we have. Peace and love to you all. :angel:

:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[Autumn II]

How does the following not meet the criteria of scientific evidence?

I'll be quick and to the point. The "following" does not fit the criteria of scientific evidence because it was not independently authenticated, by those who have no vested interest. In research, that is called a "double-blind" jury, who evaluate independently of the personalities involved. This has NOT been done, independently, nor have the results been verified.

The fact that there is so much controversy, internationally, in itself, should inspire the executors/Sony to remove the questionable three tracks, and replace them with tracks that CAN be proven, i.e. un-circulated tracks from Vince.

 

[mjjesamor]

You know, i'm just rereading the statement form Howard Weizman and this paragraph is sticking out like a sore thumb.....

"Just to be absolutely certain, I also contacted Jason Malachi, a young singer who some persons had wrongfully alleged was a “soundalike” singer that was hired to sing on the Cascio tracks, and I confirmed that he had no involvement with this project whatsoever"
I am doubting the authenticity of this statement tbh and i think something very strange is going on. Are we expected to believe that the lawyer for the estate personally contacted Jason Malachi to ask him if he was involved in the project? That is just ridiculous!

 

[cppounders]

Well no, I dont believe a test even took place. Actually....

Why am I not surprised? I'm sure you would believe if it the results would have come back in your favor...

Your being hypocritical by accusing me of discrediting people's comments just because I dont agree with them, when you are doing the exact thing to me and others. Im not so sure you know what hypocritical means when seeing your comeback to that...but ok.

I was not referring to discrediting people's comments, I was referring to discrediting the opinion of the forensic analysis that you believe the Estate dreamed up.

You mean his kids and mother? Cant recall him distancing himself from his kids or mother. Dont spew the crap on me that they have been brainwashed by the rest of the family either. They have their own minds.

Do we have it on record anywhere that Katherine and the 3 kids don't believe it is his vocals? I'd like to see it. IIRC, that was a result of the original Friedman article. He's changed his tune regarding the authenticity of the tracks, perhaps that has changed as well?

Michael would not want us to hear it unfinished. He was a perfectionist, so its far from honouring his legacy.

As I stated earlier, you are not an executor of the Estate and I'm sure that the ones who are (Mcclain & Branca) had many discussions with MJ over how he wanted his work to be maintained if/when he were to pass away. I doubt the appointment as an executor came as a surprise to either of them.

Are you high? We are in no position to sue anybody. We are just fans. One of his family members could sue on the other hand.

Are YOU high? First, in the United States, anyone can sue for anything. Secondly, if you as a consumer were to feel as though you had purchase a fraudulent product, then you would have grounds to sue.

I think the fact that 1000's of fans are doubting the authenticty of the track would be good enough to back up the charges to be honest with you.

But we arent going to sue anyway? Thats ridiculous? We'll just boycott the album instead

What about the thousand's of fans that believe the authenticity of the track? You know, the track that had experts in the field and scientific anyalysis performed on it?

Go ahead, boycott Michael's final work. I'm sure he would LOVE that.

 

[wolfrevenant]

Am I the only one concerned that a bunch of people who worked with Michael - who are all extremely talented at their work - are being treated as the "experts" in this matter? I absolutely respect people like Bruce, Teddy, Michael Prince, etc., and their opinion on this matter is important. But, have they ever even tried to distinguish Michael's voice from that of a really, really good impersonator? I know that they have all heard Michael's voice a lot throughout the years, but the nature of their work doesn't require them to listen for forgeries. When they worked with him, there was never any question that the tracks might be fakes. They didn't listen to the vocal tracks for signs that the track was fake - they listened to try to put together the best song.

Basically, I'm wondering if even people like Bruce and Teddy could tell really good fake from a real Michael vocal, especially when the track is of somewhat poor quality and made years after they worked with him.

I'm glad that the estate and Sony asked these people for their opinions, but I think they need to have more than 2 forensic musicologists involved in something this big.

Personally, I'm not gonna cast doubt on the views of Bruce and Teddy because in my opinion, what they listened to that day is most probably not the same as what we're listening to now. What I'm referring to is the raw demo, before all that cut & paste vocals and overproduction.

 

[mjjesamor]

What proof do we have that this statement is authentic?

 

[SoCav]

How does the following not meet the criteria of scientific evidence?

As I said in my original response, claiming that there is evidence is not enough. This statement mentions the existence of evidence, but does not actually contain it. We do not know the names or firms of the forensic musicologists, nor do we have access to any of their actual findings.

Again, I'm not saying the statement is untrue, and I'm not trying to influence anyone's opinion on it or the authenticity of the tracks. I just disagree with your claim that this statement contains scientific proof.

 

[diana79]

You know, i'm just rereading the statement form Howard Weizman and this paragraph is sticking out like a sore thumb.....

"Just to be absolutely certain, I also contacted Jason Malachi, a young singer who some persons had wrongfully alleged was a “soundalike” singer that was hired to sing on the Cascio tracks, and I confirmed that he had no involvement with this project whatsoever"
I am doubting the authenticity of this statement tbh and i think something very strange is going on. Are we expected to believe that the lawyer for the estate personally contacted Jason Malachi to ask him if he was involved in the project? That is just ridiculous!

LOL - I'm also wondering why Howard is so sure that Jason Malachi would tell him the truth if he was secretly involved.

 

[summer]

If they had to do all this, isn't that a good sign that maybe these tracks weren't the best choice for inclusion on Mike's first album of fully-unreleased material in 9 years, and the first big release after his passing?

Forget about whether its him or not. From a commercial standpoint, isn't that a strange idea?

:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[cppounders]

What proof do we have that this statement is authentic?

So now we're questions Gaz's credibility here too? He posted the statement as he received it directly from Howard Weitzman, attorney for the Estate of Michael Jackson.

Keep grasping at threads people.... :doh:

 

[wolfrevenant]

What proof do we have that this statement is authentic?

Authentic as in, it really came from the estate? I think you can place your trust in Gaz since he's been said to have direct contact with them.

 

[summer]

*edit*

 

[Adibobea9]

Neither of the sides have proof that it is Michael Jackson or that it isn't. Science is not always fact, but based on theories. Religion is based on BELIEF and FEELINGS. One can't prove the other wrong, at least they haven't yet. I am a religious guy and that works for me. Others are science driven and need documented files to prove their point.

I base my BELIEF that Breaking News is not 100% Michael Jackson because the FEELING, or lack thereof, I got when I heard the song. It didn't sound like Michael, the soul and passion was not there. Science proved my theory by saying Jason Porte sang backup, but my BELIEF is that he actually sang lead vocals and Sony or the Estate is not recognizing this, or their documented files say otherwise.

Neither of us have proof. Sony used science and came to the conclusion it was Michael and half of the fans here used FEELINGS and BELIEVED is was not…

 

[wolfrevenant]

I have Teddy's word that the final product is still Michael, but I don't have the word of the others. And even if I did, I still don't have the word of everyone who was in that room that day to listen to the raw demo. Might I remind you how they conveniently forgot to mention Taryll and Cory's views on the matter? And if they can forget those two, I wonder how many did they forget to mention?

 

[callmerose]

As I said in my original response, claiming that there is evidence is not enough. This statement mentions the existence of evidence, but does not actually contain it. We do not know the names or firms of the forensic musicologists, nor do we have access to any of their actual findings.

Again, I'm not saying the statement is untrue, and I'm not trying to influence anyone's opinion on it or the authenticity of the tracks. I just disagree with your claim that this statement contains scientific proof.

This. Saying you have evidence is not proof. Providing the evidence for review is giving proof.

 

[L.T.D]

Why am I not surprised? I'm sure you would believe if it the results would have come back in your favor...

If tests took place and the results had come back in my favour we wouldnt be in this mess, as they would of known the song was fake weeks ago and we would have never heard about it :S

I was not referring to discrediting people's comments, I was referring to discrediting the opinion of the forensic analysis that you believe the Estate dreamed up.

It came across as though you were accussing me of dis-crediting the opinions of Bruce Swedien and the gang simply because they didnt say what i wanted to hear.

I'm not dis-crediting the forensic analyst because I dont believe an analysis took place for me to dis-credit it......

Do we have it on record anywhere that Katherine and the 3 kids don't believe it is his vocals? I'd like to see it.

Nope, but you have to believe that if they do think they are MJ's vocals then your oh so reliable estate announcement would have listed them as people who believe they are MJ's vocals. They did not, so you only have to assume that they dont think they are MJ's vocals.

As I stated earlier, you are not an executor of the Estate and I'm sure that the ones who are (Mcclain & Branca) had many discussions with MJ over how he wanted his work to be maintained if/when he were to pass away. I doubt the appointment as an executor came as a surprise to either of them.

And you think MJ told them he would like any of the songs he hadnt completely finished to be finished by people and then released? No chance.

Are YOU high? First, in the United States, anyone can sue for anything. Secondly, if you as a consumer were to feel as though you had purchase a fraudulent product, then you would have grounds to sue.

Nobody would ever take me seriously trying to sue the estate, I dont know who you're trying to kid.

Go ahead, boycott Michael's final work. I'm sure he would LOVE that.

If he knew what was going on here then i'm pretty sure he would.

 

[mj_brainiac]

I just thought of something....

Is it possible that the Estate thought they were doing fans a favor?
these songs have been touted as michael's last recordings, and because of that, they may have felt that some of them HAD to be on the album?

I know some may rip my head off but I'm really thinking of every possible way they may have thought that putting these 3 songs on the album would've been okay...

 

[wolfrevenant]

I just thought of something....

Is it possible that the Estate thought they were doing fans a favor?
these songs have been touted as michael's last recordings, and because of that, they may have felt that some of them HAD to be on the album?

I know some may rip my head off but I'm really thinking of every possible way they may have thought that putting these 3 songs on the album would've been okay...

They might have felt they were doing the fans a favour. However, with the response they've gotten from the fans, I would say they're now doing half of the fans a favour.

If they still insist on keeping the 3 tracks, the best I can think of is they:

A) Truly believe it's Michael and hence, aren't going to listen to "delusioned" fans,

B) Have a lot of pride and if they bow down to fan demands once, fans might feel they have a right to demand for more, or

C) They paid a lot for those records, they expect returns.

 

[bluetopez]

I just thought of something....

Is it possible that the Estate thought they were doing fans a favor?
these songs have been touted as michael's last recordings, and because of that, they may have felt that some of them HAD to be on the album?

I know some may rip my head off but I'm really thinking of every possible way they may have thought that putting these 3 songs on the album would've been okay...

That's exactly the reason, it's obvious! They want that hype to sell it better! As if older MJ stuff wouldn't sell on there own!:smilerolleyes::doh:

 

[mjjesamor]

I'd go with C. And i'd add some competing egos into the mix.

 

[144000]

I just thought of something....

Is it possible that the Estate thought they were doing fans a favor?
these songs have been touted as michael's last recordings, and because of that, they may have felt that some of them HAD to be on the album?

I know some may rip my head off but I'm really thinking of every possible way they may have thought that putting these 3 songs on the album would've been okay...

anything for money. contrary to those who say sony wouldn't pull any stupid moves cus of money at stake...on the contrary. loving money makes one stupid. and lie. and steal. and CHEAT. these are all stupid things.

 

[L.T.D]

Here is a theory I came up with, just throwing it out there:

• The Cascio's had half finished or less demo's from Michael in 2007, which maybe they planned to send to him to complete in 2009.

• It has been mentioned that they were going to send recording equipment over to London so Michael could finish of songs while he was doing This is It.

• The Cascio's, left with these half completed demo's, thought they might get away with filling in all of the blanks on the demo's with a soundalike of Michael, then end up selling the songs to Sony.

• Sony recieve the songs and people doubt the authenticity of the vocals so tests are done. Since Michael's voice IS on the recordings, the tests detected his voice on them even though the majority of it isnt MJ. But he is on there at the end of the day so the test picked that up. Perhaps the Cascio's are the real culprits........

What does everyone think? Again, just throwing it out there.

 

[love is magical]

anything for money. contrary to those who say sony wouldn't pull any stupid moves cus of money at stake...on the contrary. loving money makes one stupid. and lie. and steal. and CHEAT. these are all stupid things.

May be you are right... Greed can blind people's hearts. Until now, i thought there is too much at stake; so, Sony and the Estate would take care of the album professionally. But, so far, it's been very diappointing to see the way they react to the controversy. I simply cannot comprehend their decisions.

Anyway, I'm exhausted. I give up on Breaking News. I'm not going to talk about BN anymore. I hope the new single they are going to release is a genuine and quality track and will ignite my hope and excitement again. I'd buy the album because of Hold My Hand and Another Day.

I can't believe I'm saying this. But, the Estate and Sony crush my anticipation on any future releases of unheard materials. I finally realize songs they release now will not be Michael Jackson creations. The damage is done. No one can recreate the magical touch the Michael had.

Now, for me, I don't mind another greatest hit collection and re-re-release of OTW, Thriller, BAD, Dangerous, HIStory and Invincible. I'll gladly buy them to keep Michael's legacy alive. May be the Estate will throw some genuine outtakes from those record sessions in the special editions. But, I'll always be skeptical on posthumous release of unreleased materials.

I have more repect to Mr. Will.i.am now. I agree with his comment on Michael's past catalog. Michael's catalog is so amazing that I can listen to million times without getting bored. I'm grateful for what Michael gave us during his lifetime. Thanks Michael from the bottom of my heart.

I truly hope people only consider everything from I Want You Back to Invincible for Michael's musical contributions.

 

[defdave]

Here is a theory I came up with, just throwing it out there:

• The Cascio's had half finished or less demo's from Michael in 2007, which maybe they planned to send to him to complete in 2009.

• It has been mentioned that they were going to send recording equipment over to London so Michael could finish of songs while he was doing This is It.

• The Cascio's, left with these half completed demo's, thought they might get away with filling in all of the blanks on the demo's with a soundalike of Michael, then end up selling the songs to Sony.

• Sony recieve the songs and people doubt the authenticity of the vocals so tests are done. Since Michael's voice IS on the recordings, the tests detected his voice on them even though the majority of it isnt MJ. But he is on there at the end of the day so the test picked that up. Perhaps the Cascio's are the real culprits........

What does everyone think? Again, just throwing it out there.

You've been reading my mind again lol

Yes. Part of me thinks Sony was fooled by the Cascio crew. SOMEBODY is lying (obviously) and the Cascio's being the dishonest ones makes the most sense to me.

 

[love is magical]

Here is a theory I came up with, just throwing it out there:

• The Cascio's had half finished or less demo's from Michael in 2007, which maybe they planned to send to him to complete in 2009.

• It has been mentioned that they were going to send recording equipment over to London so Michael could finish of songs while he was doing This is It.

• The Cascio's, left with these half completed demo's, thought they might get away with filling in all of the blanks on the demo's with a soundalike of Michael, then end up selling the songs to Sony.

• Sony recieve the songs and people doubt the authenticity of the vocals so tests are done. Since Michael's voice IS on the recordings, the tests detected his voice on them even though the majority of it isnt MJ. But he is on there at the end of the day so the test picked that up. Perhaps the Cascio's are the real culprits........

What does everyone think? Again, just throwing it out there.

Possible. But, does it matter what we think?

For whatever reason, the Estate and Sony just don't want to exclude the questionable tracks. The fact that they are willing to take the half completed demos and stretch them and release them is bothering. It shows a lack of integrity and respect.

May be they think a post-trial recording is much appealing to the general public than songs like APWNN and LNFSG...

 

[mjjesamor]

L.T.D i think you have hit the nail on the head. I find it very strange that the Cascios registered the songs 2 days after Michael died. I also find it strange that Dileo is involved in this -that he is James Porte's aka bobby ewing's manager and that he claimed to know all about the recordings and claims to have spoken on the phone with Michael during the alleged recordings back in 2007 despite not working or having any apparent relationship with Michael at the time. (He only reveals this now) I also find it strange that nobody had ever heard anything about them until Roger Friedman's world exclusive about it back in May (i think)

 

[Petrarose]

You've been reading my mind again lol

Yes. Part of me thinks Sony was fooled by the Cascio crew. SOMEBODY is lying (obviously) and the Cascio's being the dishonest ones makes the most sense to me.

Sounds possible. We have to find out if such a test would not show that there was another voice in the song too. Unless, the Cascios gave the song for testing before Jason was it.

 

[mjjesamor]

teddy riley has also made repeated indirect insinuations about this being down to them......