Administrators of Michael Jackson’s estate and his longtime record label, Sony Music Entertainment, Monday announced a seven-year distribution deal for as many as 10 new Jackson projects, including unreleased recordings, DVDs and perhaps even video games, valued at as much as $250 million.
“We and Sony feel that the future for Michael Jackson is unlimited,” said John Branca, a special administrator for the estate.
Rob Stringer, chairman of the Columbia Epic label group, a division of Sony, described the deal as a landmark for the recording industry. “The audio rights span across different projects,” Stringer said. “There may be theater. There may be films and movies. There may be computer games — or multimedia platforms that I don’t know about today that will happen in 2015.”
As well, Jackson estate co-executor John McClain — a 40-year confidant of the entertainer who produced part of Jackson’s 2001 album “Invincible” — is spearheading the selection of an album of previously unreleased material that could hit shelves late this year.
“John McClain tells me they’ve got over 60 unreleased recordings that they’re choosing from,” Branca said. “The first album will have around 10. There’s some very recent stuff and vintage stuff that deserves to be shared with Michael’s fans.”
Source: LA Times
