Huffington Post: Estate Lands Largest Recording Deal Ever.

HeavenSent

New member
Because the sources are speaking on condition of anonymity, I'm posting this as rumor.

From Huffingtonpost:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/15/michael-jackson-sony-deal_n_500231.html

LOS ANGELES – The estate of Michael Jackson has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement is expected Tuesday.

Future projects may also include a DVD compilation of videos and a re-release of "Off the Wall," Jackson's fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material. Before his sudden death in June at age 50, the pop star had wanted to re-issue the album, people familiar with the deal said.

One of the projects already counted in the contract was the two-disc album that accompanied "This Is It," the film based on footage of concert rehearsals for what was to have been Jackson's comeback at London's O2 arena.

Including the more than 5 million copies of that special release, Jackson has sold some 31 million albums since his death in June, about two-thirds of them outside the United States.

"During his life, Michael's contracts set the standard for the industry," said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate, in a statement prepared for release Tuesday. "By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael's music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks."

Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music's Columbia Epic Label Group, said in prepared remarks, "We're dedicated to protecting this icon's legacy and we're thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future."



____

Oh Sony. SMH. WHY?????
 

HeavenSent

New member
Mods: Feel free to change the headline to "breaking news" now...


Michael Jackson’s Estate Signs Sweeping Contract


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/arts/music/16jackson.html

By BEN SISARIO
Published: March 15, 2010

Nine months after Michael Jackson’s death, his estate has signed one of the biggest recording contracts in history, giving Sony, Mr. Jackson’s longtime label, the rights to sell his back catalog and draw on a large vault of unheard recordings.

The deal, for about 10 recordings through 2017, will guarantee the Jackson estate up to $250 million in advances and other payments and offer an especially high royalty rate for sales both inside and outside the United States, according to people with knowledge of the contract who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

It also allows Sony and the estate to collaborate on a wide range of lucrative licensing arrangements, like the use of Jackson music for films, television and stage shows and lines of memorabilia that will be limited only by the imagination of the estate and the demand of a hungry worldwide market.

“We think that recordings will always be an important part of the estate,” John Branca, an entertainment lawyer who is one of the estate’s executors, said in an interview on Monday. “New generations of kids are discovering Michael.”

“A lot of the people that went to see ‘This Is It’ were families,” he added, referring to the Jackson concert film released in October. “ ‘This Is It’ was one of the few films allowed into China. So we think there are growing and untapped markets for Michael’s music.”

The first recording covered by the new contract is the “This Is It” soundtrack, released last year, and Sony plans a new album of unreleased recordings for November.

Sony’s contract is a bet on the continued appeal of Mr. Jackson, whose sales spiked after his death in June at the age of 50. With overall record sales on a decade-long plunge, mega-deals like this one have become rare, and Mr. Branca said the deal “exceeds all previous industry benchmarks.” Five years ago Bruce Springsteen signed a deal with Sony worth a reported $110 million, and in 2008 Live Nation and Jay-Z struck a $150 million deal for recordings, concert tours and other rights.

Demand for Jackson music has leveled off after the initial rush – in the weeks after his death Sony scrambled to replenish retailers’ stock of any and all Jackson titles – but remains high. Last year Mr. Jackson was the biggest-selling artist in the United States by a wide margin, with 8.3 million combined album sales and 12.4 million downloads of single tracks, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Mr. Branca said that since his death Mr. Jackson has sold more than 31 million albums, about two-thirds of them outside the United States.

But as record sales have tapered off over the last decade, licensing has emerged as the biggest growth area for revenue from recorded music. And given the success of the Beatles and the Elvis Presley estate in reissuing and repackaging old albums as well as finding new uses for their music – like “Love,” the Beatles’ hit theatrical show by Cirque du Soleil – it is not hard to imagine the direction that the Jackson estate might take in using old recordings in new ways.

“It’s not just a record deal,” said Rob Stringer, chairman of the Columbia/Epic Label Group, a Sony division. “We’re not just basing this on how many CDs we sell or how many downloads. There are also audio rights for theater, movies, computer games. I don’t know how an audio soundtrack will be used in 2017, but you’ve got to bet on Michael Jackson in any new platform.”
 

Teva

New member
HeavenSent;236854 said:
Because the sources are speaking on condition of anonymity, I'm posting this as rumor.

Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music's Columbia Epic Label Group, said in prepared remarks, "We're dedicated to protecting this icon's legacy and we're thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future."

INTERESTING, but liars it is all about the money. I don't recall seeing Rob Stringer, at MJ's memorial. I saw Berry Gordy of Motown, but not one single Sony executive. In fact Michael Jackson was not even signed with Sony when he died. Remember the famous London speech he gave when he said he was a free agent. Not only did he lose the ATV catalog, but it appears he also now lost his own CATALOGUE which is worth more (IMO) than the beatles.

Let me just say I consider myself very logical and I don't fall easily for BS, or I don't go for the conspiracy theories, but tonight this post, and these articles turned everything around for me. There are so many interviews that Michael gave where he either hinted, or talked about a conspiracy within Sony. Listening to them I thought it might have been the stress of the trial, or the prescription drugs, but now I think he was on to something. He was not paranoid. Don't forget what Latoya said MJ told her.

I recently read a book called The Trials of Michael Jackson by Lynton Guest. This book lays out Sony's involvement in MJ's life, and how they really wanted nothing to do with him while he was alive except to have the rights to his music and the ATV catalog. The guy that wrote the book is a music expert and knows how the entertainment industry works. Here is where my paranoia kicks into high gear: this book predicted what transpired in these articles. Want more? It was written a year or two ago with a recent chapter added after MJ's death. It was a manual for what happened.

Michael Jackson wanted to get his music away from Sony not to be further in bed with them. I don't know if Sony was personally involved with MJ's death, but I believed they weren't cut up about it.

I fee better now. Just had to get that off my chest.
 

Teva

New member
Suddenly Sony want's to promote Michael Jackson's music. One catch: Without Michael Jackson.
 

Teva

New member
sunshine.larrazabal;236860 said:
I don't know how to react BUT I want ALL Mike's unheard, unreleased songs!!!!! :( I want to hear his voice AGAIN.... :(

Well I'm mad as hell. It is 1:30 where I live I can't even go to bed.
 
Teva;236861 said:
Suddenly Sony want's to promote Michael Jackson's music. One catch: Without Michael Jackson.

But what can we do now, Teva, Mike is gone and his songs in the Sony's "vault", when are we going to hear it????? I know it's disappointing and sad BUT what can we do now???? :unsure: :( I will buy it for sure!

Was it really the entire Sony or JUST that mottola only???? If you know what I mean??
 
Teva;236862 said:
Well I'm mad as hell. It is 1:30 where I live I can't even go to bed.

Aww... Teva, I just woke up from a 4 hour snooze and I was crying when I saw this thread... :( I know it's hard to think about what happened before! I really hate thinking How Mike said those words but he was hurt, he said those words because he was hurt by those people (motolla and maybe some other Sony executives...). I don't really want to blame Sony like from the Philippines or anywhere else because they just followed what the higher Sony people were telling them... I am deeply sad, mixed emotions right now... :( (((hugs to you, Teva :( )
 

Teva

New member
sunshine.larrazabal;236864 said:
But what can we do now, Teva, Mike is gone and his songs in the Sony's "vault", when are we going to hear it????? I know it's disappointing and sad BUT what can we do now???? :unsure: :( I will buy it for sure!

Was it really the entire Sony or JUST that mottola only???? If you know what I mean??

It was Sony, it went all the way back to Japan. Mottola was a part of Sony. Lynton Guest must be laughing and saying I told you so.

There isn't anything that can be done whatever fans do will only sabotage the estate, and you don't want that. As poster on a fan site said, the entire music industry is evil, better the devil you know than the one you don't.
 
Teva;236868 said:
It was Sony, it went all the way back to Japan.


But Sony Japan has always been PRO-MJ..... I think "somebody" must have told these Sony people in Japan, you know.... DAMMIT!!! That "somebody" is really devilish!! :bs:8-26-03yuk::icon_hitting
 

MJfan01'

New member
as long as it's new material or unreleased material I'm happy. :michaeljacksonicon: :D

Sad, Michael couldn't get this respect when he was alive....
 

Teva

New member
Whew! I some how manage to calm myself down. I have chosen to look at the positives and not the negatives.

I will support the estate, after all "a house against itself cannot stand"
I still don't like it, but I will support it.
L.O.V.E
 

whisperAdmin

Administrator
Staff member
Hateful.
..he could never have been able to get a deal like that if were still alive. That's what pisses me off.
 

candles

New member
there is a reason why Michael never released those songs. He never wanted people to hear them or else he would have had them released. So I'm not happy about this.

He's already given us so much music since he was practically born. I'm sorry but I dont think the world needs/deserves to hear him some more just so greedy assholes can get rich.
 

HeavenSent

New member
whisper;236905 said:
Hateful.
..he could never have been able to get a deal like that if were still alive. That's what pisses me off.

Thank you. I don't care if this is the largest recording deal, it's the most insulting recording deal. F them.
 

Cristine87

New member
SomedayMaybe;236908 said:
there is a reason why Michael never released those songs. He never wanted people to hear them or else he would have had them released. So I'm not happy about this.

$$$$$$$. That's what's on the table after June 25th, Girl! They're gonna turn Michael in to another Elvis!
 
Top