What happened to Michael Jackson Part 1: Sony Fued
Controlling the King of Pop
I have heard the rumblings on X that the fall of Michael Jackson from grace was an orchestrated takedown, not just self destruction. I have decided to dig in for myself. Part 1 will be on his relationship with Sony and the financial pressure he got himself into. I will likely publish a Part 2 on the allegations of pedophilia and Part 3 on those in his inner circle as things unraveled.
Candace Owens
For a well done video exemplifying what I want to investigate, check out this Candace Owens video on the topic. I want to commend Candace for having the courage to cover stories most wouldn’t dare. I have been paying attention, and the unfair attacks she has sustained, even from the “conservative” and “independent” wings of the media, have been stunning. She appears to have something lacking in American media/ journalism for decades: independence and integrity. Hence she is now independent.
I pulled a quote from her video I want to share that is a bit haunting:
“What happened to Michael Jackson could never happen today right? Back when all this was going on in the early 2000s, the media ran things. They completely controlled our minds. I too was worked to believe that MJ was a pedophile. And not that MJ had picked a fight with some very powerful people who have a leg in the media, who can make things appear and make things go away with the snap of their fingers.”
Background
Jackson signed onto Epic Records when he was only 17 years old and still with the Jackson 5. This locked him into long-term commitments with Epic and gave the label extensive control over release schedules, marketing and the rights to his master recordings in perpetuity.
In 1985 Michael Jackson won his bid to purchase the ATV Music catalog which included the rights to the music of The Beatles. At this point he had enjoyed unprecedented commercial success as an artist and had the $47.5 million for the deal primarily from the success of his album "Thriller," released in 1982. "Thriller" had become the best-selling album of all time (and still holds that record). The album produced seven Top 10 singles and won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards.
Sony
Sony acquired CBS Records (which owned Epic Records) in 1988 which included the rights to Jackson’s master recordings including Thriller. Up to this point, adjusted for inflation Epic Records had profited approximately 2 Billion dollars and MJ had profited approximately 300 million dollars from his work.
In 1991 Jackson and Sony went on to enter a 50-50 merger for MJ’s ATV Catalog. This appeared to be a very beneficial deal for MJ as he received a large cash infusion ($100 million), distribution and marketing to increase the value of the catalog, and positioned him as a major player in the business side of the music industry.
Alas, as many cautionary tales in the business world would attest, 50-50 partnerships come with a huge problem. The structure meant that major decisions required agreement from both parties, which became problematic as Jackson's relationship with Sony deteriorated.
Business Relationship Sours
By 2002, his relationship with Sony soured immensely, and Sony had many forms of power over him not aligned with his best interests. He was essentially trapped in a multi-faceted business relationship with Sony:
His recordings were controlled by Sony Music/Epic
His most valuable asset (Sony/ATV) was co-owned with Sony
He had used his Sony/ATV stake as collateral for loans
His new music was still contractually obligated to Sony labels
Sony was able to hurt him by undermining the promotion of his later work
By the early 2000s, Jackson felt that Sony was trying to force him into a position where he would have to sell his share of the catalog to cover debts – something he vehemently resisted. We can see some solid evidence supporting MJ’s claim suggesting Sony undermined his later work. This is particularly evident with "Invincible" (2001) which received significantly less promotional support than previous Jackson albums, despite being one of the most expensive albums ever produced (estimated at $30 million). Sony released only two singles from "Invincible" in the US market before essentially abandoning the album campaign. This was unusual for a major Michael Jackson release, which typically would have 5-7 singles. There was little corporate support for a potential tour, which would have been standard for an artist of Jackson's stature.
In the summer of 2002 Michael Jackson started a public protest against Tommy Mottola, CEO of Sony, calling him "A devil" "Very, very devilish" and "Racist". Here is a link to his public rally against Tommy Mottola with Reverend Al Sharpton.
Financial Backdrop
Jackson faced significant financial challenges during this period due to extravagant personal spending, costly legal battles, enormous expenses of maintaining Neverland Ranch(reportedly costing $5 million annually) and declining record sales. This financial pressure greatly contributed to the tension with Sony. Jackson felt the company was trying to force him into a position where he would need to sell his share of ATV
Closing
So, where are we so far, did Sony abuse their financial and business leverage over Michael? Did Michael self destruct by living above his means? Is there much more to the Michael Tommy Fued? Yes to all in my opinion.
I think we have only scratched the surface in understanding his conflict with Tommy Mottola and Sony. In the next article I will clear up what we know about the allegations of child sexual abuse which he beat in the courtroom but carried the reputational damage of.
Timeline:
1975: Jackson signs onto Epic Records, giving rights in perpetuity at only 17 years old
1982: "Thriller" was released by Epic Records (under CBS Records) breaking sales records still held today
1985: Jackson acquired ATV Music Catalog (including the rights to the Beatle’s music)
1988: Sony acquired CBS Records (included subsidiary Epic Records) and Tommy Mottola becomes president of CBS records
1991: Jackson formed his partnership with Sony for ATV catalog
2002: Jackson gives his public statement against Tommy Mottola and calls him "A devil" "Very, very devilish" and "Racist"