Sony plans Jacko-jettison

THE King of Pop's "crusade" against Sony Music is a face-saving strategy. Insiders say Sony is sick of the unprofitable Michael Jackson and is releasing two "greatest hits" albums back-to-back next year, just to get rid of him. "Michael has two albums on his contract left, and Sony will deal with it in the only way it can be profitable - a greatest hits compilation," a source reports. Jackson's last "original" album for the label, "Invincible," flopped upon its release last year. "Sony can't figure out what Michael's beef is with them," our source said. "They were startled when he had that whole press conference with Johnnie Cochran and Al Sharpton, claiming he was a slave to the music industry." Sony was said to be caught completely unaware. "Michael is trying to get some more publicity so that he can get a record deal with another company when the contract with Sony is up. Sony let him know a while ago they wouldn't be re-signing him," the spy added.

LOL...you're late,somebody already posted this article in the "General Discussion" forum:)

Really? & it was in the paper only today. So much for this being the Music - Non-Prince Forum.

Ass-saving strategy I would say... because I think his face cannot be saved. But I think your point of view is mostly Sony's point of view... Try to think by yourself and not as a fanatic Prince fan who hates MJ...

A face-saving stragegy? LMAO!

I think they are saving his face in a jar of alcohol just in case he ever wants it back.

These days,when an artist "goes to war" with their record label,one can't help but suspect that it's all a publicity stunt.Longtime artists have a hard time accepting the fact that their popularity is slipping.So,why not "turn it around" and blame the RECORD COMPANY when their record flops? That way,they can take the focus off their own declining popularity and make it seem as if it's somebody's else's fault that the record isn't selling.This "strategy" is all-too-common in pop music today.Let's see how much mileage Michael gets from it;)

doriel1979 said:

My point of view? I really couldn't care less about MJ & no one seeking any shred of reliability would ever consider me a Prince fanatic.

npgfan said:

This is such bull! First of all, Sony is not releasing 2 greatest hits albums, but a double greatest hits album, and this with the sole purpose 2 deny MJ the publishing rights over his songs, since his contract stipulated that any song used on a greatest hits album cannot b published again 4 a very long time. As 4 MJ beeing unprofitable, how's that possible? Apparently he has 2 pay back production costs of his albums, promotion costs r, well, mediocre.
Invincible supposedly flopped on its realease, but actually it sold over 5 million copies in 2 months.
And they r 'startled' bcause of MJ's comments. How can they b 'startled' when apparently they stopped promoting him a while back, they r already planning on a double greatest hits album, they assume he is after publicity 2 get a better deal elsewhere (y would he want another deal if they promoted him like they should promote their biggest selling artist of the last two decades).
As 4 the album itself, it may not have been the next Thriller, but it sure had 5 or 6 damn fine singles on it, and was much better than most of the crap that's shipping nowadays.

A DOUBLE Greatest Hit's album??? What..are they going re-release HISTORY??? Cuz he sho aint had but one hit since that record came out in '95!

LOL...HISTORY re-released with BONUS TRACK: "You Rock My World"...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

What MJ didn't realize is that time has caught up with him. He was spending $30 million on one CD in anticipation of having huge sales.

But the huge audience just isn't there for him anymore. MJ is a pop artist, and a whole new generation of young pop fans would rather listen to Britney, Christina, Pink, N'Sync, O-Town etc. MJ doesn't rule the pop charts anymore, but he still wanted to spend money as if he did.

At this point in his career, MJ can't just put out an album and then go home to Neverland without supporting the album on tour. He hasn't toured the U.S. in about 12 years.

If David Bowie and Mariah Carey could be dumped from their labels for disappointing sales, so can MJ. He's not as "invincible" as he thought he was.

DavidEye said:

I bloody well hope it's not. Accountability of THEIR accounting practices is what the artists need, among thousands of other things. If this is done for publicity and nothing comes out of it, it will be disappointing for so many current and future talented artists.

GoldNigga said:

This is SO TRUE! Michael needs to come back to Earth and accept reality.This ain't 1983 anymore! He needs to realize that,while he still has a loyal following,he will never sell 50 million copies of an album ever again.He needs to scale back,spend less money making an album,and stop treating every album like it's gonna be a life-changing,monumental EVENT.Michael has had incredible success in the past,but the past is the past.'Invincible' sold between 5 to 7 million worldwide and that's pretty much what a MJ album will sell these days.

Another thing...Michael is incredibly lazy these days.It seems as if he wanted the album to sell without HIM having to do any real promotion.He should have started a 6-month world tour by now! He should have performed "Butterflies" on the Grammys.He should have made numerous TV appearances the week that the CD came out,performing a different song on each show.He should have personally visisted radio staions and did interviews.He could have done print interviews with all the major magazines.It's not entirely Sony's fault that the album wasn't the blockbuster that many predicted.

DavidEye said:

that is so true. when invincible was being relased, the only buzz that existed was due to him being mj( the person we grew up on). he is an elvis-wannabe.

I got this from the Veletrope board. I think MJ maybe smarter than we think...

"Sony Didn't Realise This Artist Would Out-Think Them"

I'm a free agent now, says Michael Jackson at MJNI's Killer Thriller Party

An exuberant crowd welcomed Michael Jackson to the stage of the Equinox in Leicester Square, London, on 15th June.

Michael, who had watched two hours of live performances from tribute artists at the MJNI Fan Club bash from his VIP box at the side of the stage, thanked the performers for their talent and the fans for their loyalty.

He then began an unprecedented verbal assault on the appalling tactics of Sony Music who he accused of trying to "destroy" the INVINCIBLE album because they couldn't stand the thought that the artist had "out-thought" the company.

Michael told his fans that he only had to do one more album for Sony, and that would be a box set with two new songs. "I can give them any old songs," he said, to laughter and rapturous applause. "I'm a free agent now," he continued, "but I walk away with 50% of Sony Publishing. They're very angry with me."

Jackson described Sony CEO Tommy Mottola as "evil," "the devil" and said that his way of doing business had to be "terminated".

All this was met with cheers from the 2,200 fans who were packed into the Equinox.

Prior to his appearance on stage, fans were treated to a special 6 minute video that MJNI had commissioned, outlining the unique influence that Michael Jackson has had on successive generations of recording artists.

Earlier in the day, Michael Jackson made a personal appearance at the Demonstration of Fan Support outside the offices of Sony Music. The demo was organised by MJNI and was fully supported by Angel, Planet Jackson and 40 other fan clubs from around the world. Hundreds upon hundreds of fans were packed into Great Marlborough Street to witness Michael's extraordinary contribution to the proceedings.

On the top deck of an open-top London Sightseeing bus, Michael responded to chants of "Sony Sucks" by putting his thumbs up and, later, joining in with the chants. Central London was brought to a standstill as thousands of people vied for a closer look at the King of Pop.

Gloria Haydock, President of MJ News International said after the Equinox event: "Today has been an extraordinary day in the world of Michael Jackson. He has delivered a heartfelt message to the people who have remained loyal to him for so many years - his fans. We are so proud that he chose to do it at our event; it has been a dream come true for MJNI."

"I really don't like to talk much," Jackson had said, playfully, before he launched into his incredible indictment of Sony Music's underhand behaviour.

Meanwhile, thousands of adoring fans and scores of policemen drafted in to deal with the mania have proved, once and for all, that Michael Jackson remains a force to be reckoned with.

What I notice about these reports is that MJ is very responsive to his fans. This event was organized on his behalf by his fans, and he showed up to acknowledge their efforts and to show his appreciation for their support.

Something that I have noticed for a long time with MJ is that he has consistently maintained a very good relationship with his most devoted fans.

I have gone to MJ websites and seen many, many pictures of MJ meeting fans, signing autographs, and just generally being very nice to the people who support him.

This isn't something that he just started doing. MJ was very careful about his fan relations at the height of his popularity, too.

I agree that MJ might be a lot smarter than people think he is.

subyduby said:

you forgot the fact that in came w/ 5 'different' [oooh 5 colours to pick from!!] limited edition covers.

and actually i do not mind this cd

Go Mike!

I rate Invincible very much.
Unbreakable, Heartbreaker, Heaven Can Wait, Speechless, 2000 Watts and Whatever Happens should have all been singles.

From Worldpop.com:

"Michael Jackson has confirmed that after over 25 years on the label, he has parted with his record company Sony. Speaking at a Michael Jackson fan club day at London's Equinox club on Saturday, Jackson appeared before thousands of screaming fans and made a surprisingly eloquent speech about the nature of record company politics and artist contracts.

'It's true I have left Sony,' Jackson told the fans. Referring to the percieved poor promotion of his last album, Invincible, Jackson said: 'A record company leaves you no choice when they virtually give up on promoting your album. But I've always said that great art never dies and this isn't the end of Michael Jackson.'

Jackson is rumoured to be discussing releasing his next album on a label set up by Harrods owner, Mohammed Al Fayed.

Sony Music have released a statement confirming Jackson's split with the label

Jackson's official website, www.michaeljackson.com hasn't been updated for over a year and a scheduled release for his next single, Unbreakable, was recently cancelled by his record label.

In the US, Jackson recently aligned himself with the Rev Al Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr, who have formed a coalition to investigate whether artists are being financially exploited by record labels.

'Record companies have to start treating their artists with respect, honor and financial justice, said Jackson at the launch of the coalition. 'Therefore, I am proud to join this coalition which represents all artists.'

Say what you will about MJ's appearance, his alleged afterschool specials.

The fact that he really should have been giving Lisa Marie a hunk of burning love instead of hanging at the playground with Mr.(You are not alone, the camera's here with you)Kelly.

Him keeping 50% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing is the big thing. The Beatles, Sly, Little Richard, The Pointer Sisters. He's gets paid when those songs are played on the radio or in commercials. Same thing with the Motown stuff, Berry Gordy gets paid.

Next time you're flipping through the channels check out how many times you'll hear a Motown song selling cars or even Zeppelin or Aerosmith songs those guys who own the publishing get paid $100,000 and up for each license to use a song.

As far as Paul McCartney he could have bought he and John's songs from The Beatles in 1981 but Yoko screwed him up. Instead of buying the songs and assigning the rights to John's estate he tried to include Yoko on the bidding but she did some dumb cosmic "Nancy Reagan check with my astrologer bull***" and she fouled up the deal.

Now a few years later the songs were still up for grabs and then MJ bought them. He didn't bid directly against Paul.

Hey, don't cry for Paul Argentina. He owns Buddy Holly songs, Broadway songs like stuff from CATS And Annie, stuff like "Autumn Leaves and even "Happy Birthday".

This is just a note to all singers, musicians and writers to keep ownership of your work. (Copyrights) No matter what kind of publishing deal you get offered.