Michael Jackson stored ‘Endless’ supply of music in his vaults

NEW YORK — Michael Jackson had a mountain of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died — music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come.

The material includes unused tracks from studio sessions of some of Jackson’s best albums, as well as more recently recorded songs made with Senegalese R&B singer and producer Akon and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.

"There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums,” said Tommy Mottola, who from 1998 to 2003 was chairman and CEO of Sony Music, which owns the distribution rights to Jackson’s music. "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There’s just some genius and brilliance in there.”

The releases, Mottola said, "could go on for years and years — even more than Elvis.”

Since Jackson’s death Thursday, there has been an enormous, almost unprecedented demand for the King of Pop’s music. Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday that three of his records — "Number Ones,” "Essential Michael Jackson” and "Thriller — were the best-selling albums of the week, and 2.3 million tracks of his have been downloaded in the U.S. alone.


No plans yet
When a music star of Jackson’s stature dies, labels typically comb through their archives to pull out anything they can release.
New compilations of recordings by performers such as Elvis, Tupac and Jeff Buckley still are released nearly every year.

Mottola, who has described himself as the "shepherd and gatekeeper” of Jackson’s catalog and is familiar with it better than anyone, said that for every album Jackson made — including classics like 1979’s "Off the Wall” and 1982’s "Thriller” — he recorded several tracks that didn’t make it onto the records.

(Mottola had only laudatory things to say about Jackson, who criticized Mottola in 2002 as a racist. Among those who defended Mottola at the time was the Rev. Al Sharpton.)

The details of who owns Jackson’s unreleased music and concert footage are not entirely clear. Sony Music declined to comment. A person involved with the label who requested anonymity said no new projects or compilations are being planned yet.


by the associated press

Michael Jackson, remains a moneymaking machine

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson spent the last years of his life buried in debt. But the King of Pop’s death is likely to yield a financial bonanza more lucrative than any comeback tour ever could, as fans snap up his music and memorabilia and perhaps one day get the chance to tour his Neverland home.

"Quite frankly, he may be worth more dead than alive,” said Jerry Reisman, general counsel for the Hit Factory, a recording studio where Jackson produced his best-selling album "Thriller.”

Jackson’s death at age 50 leaves a multitude of questions about a financial empire that included his own music, as well a 50 percent stake in a library that held the rights to songs by the Beatles. But Jackson reportedly had $400 million in debts, and it isn’t known how his estate will be divided and who the beneficiaries will be.

This much is clear: Jackson’s heirs, music labels and opportunists will probably be mining his legacy for decades to come.

In that way, his death may parallel that of the music industry’s original King — Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 at age 42.

Like Jackson, Presley hadn’t had a hit album in years. At the end of his life, he was mostly relying on royalties from his past hits and doing shows in Las Vegas. But in death he became a moneymaking phenomenon.

Presley’s estate was valued at just $4.9 million at the time of his death. In 2005, a company run by media entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman paid $100 million for 85 percent of the estate and a 90-year lease on his Memphis mansion, Graceland.

By some estimates, Jackson’s estate could be worth more than $1 billion. Besides the master recordings of his own music, Jackson owned half of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a jewel estimated to be worth $2 billion by itself. The 750,000-song catalog includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.


Debts come first
Creditors will get first crack at the estate.
"I think the first question is, `Is there anything left after you pay off the debts?’” said Robert Rasmussen, the dean of law at the University of Southern California.

Jackson might have shielded some of his estate from creditors and ensured that his children were taken care of by placing a life insurance policy and other assets in an irrevocable trust, said Steve Hartnett, associate director of education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.

The pop star left behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7. The elder children were born to ex-wife Deborah Rowe, while the youngest is his biological son, born to a surrogate mother.

Other potential beneficiaries include Jackson’s parents, his five brothers, three sisters and a long list of nieces and nephews. His children’s nanny was believed to be close to Jackson.

The contents of Jackson’s will have not been released. Typically, a will becomes public within about 30 days of a person’s death.



by the associated press