Why didn't MJ release "Unbreakable" first??

Everyone is saying shame on Sony, but honestly it was both Michaels and Sonys fault the album didnt sell as well as planned. Invincible was apparantly the most expensive album ever to MAKE costing something ridiculous like $30 million. This was paid by Sony NOT Michael. So i can understand why Sony wanted to release a single that cost a little less.
Sony has ALWAYS supported michael's career, and If Michael felt that strongly about releasing UNBREAKABLE then he shouldve just paid for the video himself.

Think about it though, why would Sony sabotage Invincible? It makes NO sense, considering they needed to make back all the money they spent on making the album in the first place.
 
There were seven singles and videos that Michael wanted to release from Invincible. Initially, Mike wanted to release Unbreakable as the debut single from the album, partnered with a 20 minute short film. BUT Sony wanted Mike to release You Rock My World instead of "Unbreakable" due to shorter production time for the video and money.

Once Sony kept pulling these type of things CHEAPING Mike out, he told SOny he will not resign with Sony. Did all those ANTI SONY demonstrations. THEN SONY PULLED EVERYTHING.

This is a major part of why the album did not sell as well as Mike wanted.

Well that and the fact it was released less than a month after 9/11. The world for the first time put ENTERTAINMENT on holt.

that should explain why something doesn't always happen the way MJ wants it..or we want it..it ain't MJ's fault. but then again...with time, Invincible has sold and is still selling well. so...it's an invicible album, in more ways than one.

and, 1988, ur kind of thinking is why so many countries are in recession. u have to invest money to make money. and mj is a smart financier. after all the money that mj made for mottolla, investing in invincible, to mj's liking is the least that mottolla could have done, back then.
 
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Everyone is saying shame on Sony, but honestly it was both Michaels and Sonys fault the album didnt sell as well as planned. Invincible was apparantly the most expensive album ever to MAKE costing something ridiculous like $30 million. This was paid by Sony NOT Michael. So i can understand why Sony wanted to release a single that cost a little less.
Sony has ALWAYS supported michael's career, and If Michael felt that strongly about releasing UNBREAKABLE then he shouldve just paid for the video himself.

Think about it though, why would Sony sabotage Invincible? It makes NO sense, considering they needed to make back all the money they spent on making the album in the first place.
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DANgerous

u need to read up and educate yourself on what went on back then.

as others said the talk from the time was mj wanted to release unbreakable first. there were supposedly big pans for a huge video and mel gibsons name was slung around abit.sony wanted URMW so leaked it to radio stations and therfore pushed mj into having to release it first

THEN SONY PULLED EVERYTHING.
to be fair sony pulled everything around december 01. mj did the protests etc in the summer of 02 then by the end of the year mottola was gone
 
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Yes SONY spent over 20 million dollers to make the album.. But what is money in making an album sell very well..?? I don't care is Sony put 100 million dollers on making Invincible. That's not the point.. They did not PROMOTE it. If Michael knew that after spending the moeny they did on making the album, they would pull money from promoting it.. He would have not spent that much on production and left MUCH more for promotion.. Michael simply asked for the things he wanted/needed to make the album and Sony provided.. THEN when it came to promotion, they did not provide, saying we spent enough for the album....... Even when you really think about it 20 million dollers on invincible is NOT that much.. From a company worth well over a billion dollers.. and the album taking 4 years to make.. That's 5 million a year. That is studio time, equiptment, renting and buying things, traveling expenses, hotel costs, business propositions.. 5 million a year for that is not THAT MUCH, when you take EVERYTHING into consideration..

Michael was not aware he had a specific amount to use for his album and promoting it.. he would have devided the 20 million.. Maybe 12 million to make the album and 8 million promoting. and/or he would have found other ways to FUND his needs..
 
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There were seven singles and videos that Michael wanted to release from Invincible. Initially, Mike wanted to release Unbreakable as the debut single from the album, partnered with a 20 minute short film. BUT Sony wanted Mike to release You Rock My World instead of "Unbreakable" due to shorter production time for the video and money.

Once Sony kept pulling these type of things CHEAPING Mike out, he told SOny he will not resign with Sony. Did all those ANTI SONY demonstrations. THEN SONY PULLED EVERYTHING.

This is a major part of why the album did not sell as well as Mike wanted.

Well that and the fact it was released less than a month after 9/11. The world for the first time put ENTERTAINMENT on holt.

Great explanation! Better than I could have said it.
 
From Invincible?? I absolutely LOVE that song...it is so appropriate for him!! And it ROCKS!!

Because it wasn't up to MJ. If it was, then the album would have enjoyed a nice long life in the charts, and we would have seen plenty of promotion. But he didn't have control over that with 'Vince unfortunately.....

I only heard Unbreakable on the radio ONCE, when it was thought it was going to be "the next single from MJ", but then they must have received instruction to pull it cos it disappeared and it was like that song never happened. :(

All that crap aside - musically, Unbreakable is one of my favourites, and to me it's pure Michael, who he is. And I find it uplifting to listen to. The song is true. :) xx
 
its just bad memories from that time, I wish we'd all forget about it and move on, cause it's a waste of time to ask why wasn't this released and sorta stuffs.... because lets all remind ourselves that sony did pull everything off when they refused to let Michael promote his album
 
I heard that Mel Gibson had agreed to be in the Unbreakable video. Not sure how true that is.
 
Well it's the million dollar question isn't it. All we can do is surmise.

I remember hearing YRMW for the first time and for the first time in 30 years I listened to a MJ record and thought 'Is that it?'. The song grew on me & I love Invincible the album.

Unbreakable should have been a single, but not the first. Michael had to release a record that no-one was expecting. One that people heard on the radio, loved but had no idea it was Michael Jackson.

I'm talking about Whatever Happens or Butterflies.

Its so the atypical MJ record it's untrue. I really feel the whole landscape would have shifted.

In my opinion, the singles should have been:

Whatever Happens
Unbreakable
Butterflies
2000 Watts
Invincible
Threatened
Speechless (for a Xmas release)

But at the same time, 10 million copies is a major achievement.
 
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