How the media & music conglomerates manipulate artists (like M.J.)

[Trauma-san]

Look how these fuckers do Michael Jackson, and he's the biggest star in the universe with the most clout.  If they're fuckin' HIM over like this, imagine what they're doing to our other favorites who don't have as much pull or name recognition.

Michael has a shitload of money, and happened to own the beatles publishing catalog.  Sony (whom he was signed to) were after him for years to sell them the beatles catalog, and he finally relented about 8 years ago.  Being the business genius that he is, he traded them half of EACH Beatles song, for half of their publishing company.  Sounds like a good deal for Sony, but in reality, they paid him 90 million dollars, plus, signed him into 1/2 ownership of their ATV music publishing catalog.  ATV owns music of artists who are STILL recording.  The last Oasis album, for instance, was an ATV album... even though it was recorded 6 years after Michael took over half ownership of Sony's catalog, he STILL got half the publishing credits of the last Oasis album.... and didn't do a damn thing, or have anything to do with writing it.  This gives you a small idea of how bad he fucked Sony when he sold them half of his Beatles catalog.  Multiply this by the hundreds of artists in the Sony/Michael Jackson/ATV music catalog, and you get an idea of just how much of Sony's money Michael's taking to the bank each month.  On top of all this................ Michael owns his own catalog of music, 100%.  LOL.  

Anyways, as you can imagine, Sony started to get pretty pissed with Michael about the time "Invincible" came out.  They filmed one video with him for it, and then refused to help out with any of the promotion.  People bitch about Michael spending 30million dollars to record the album, but the truth is, Sony didn't spend one dime on the album.  The reason Michael keeps his publishing rights is because he pays to record each album himself.  He's a fucking genius that way.  Anyways.  Sony feels fucked, and only pays for him to shoot 1 video.  "Rock my world".  Keep in mind that Michael's other albums, all had at least 4 or 5 videos filmed for them, that's how you promote an album.  "Bad" had about 8 videos, and about 8 or 9 huge hit songs.  Anyways, Invincible sells 2 million copies in the U.S. with 1 video, and 8 or 9 million copies worldwide.  Pretty good sales, by anyone's standards, except Michael Jackson's.  

Michael gets pissed at the promotion Sony didn't give him, and starts talking shit about them, and Tommy Motolla (pres. of Sony).  Sony responds by firing Tommy Motolla.  

So, Michael owes Sony 1 more album, a greatest hits package.  He submits a new song for it, and Sony rolls the album out.  Sony knows Michael's walking after the album, so they don't do any promotion for it, and refuse to film or distribute a video for the new song, "One More Chance". Instead, they release an album, and a rehashed DVD featuring the same songs (but no new videos).  Michael responds by calling CBS, who tell Michael they'll pay him a couple million dollars for a television special about his music to air the week after the album comes out, and they'll pay for him to film a video with R. Kelly for the new single.  Michael flys to Las Vegas, and starts filming the video.

The child-molestation shit drops the day his album comes out, and CBS tells him they're not going to show the special, and since the contract says they get to show the video first, they're not going to give him the video him and R. Kelly just filmed.  So, Mike's basically fucked, accused of child-molestation by a kid dying from Cancer that Michael had been paying money to, and then stopped once the kids mother started blackmailing him.  On top of that, CBS won't give him his video, and Sony won't promote his album.  

His brothers Marlon and Jermaine go on 20/20 with Barbara Walters, and it's a huge ratings event.  So, Michael's managers call ABC and they agree to buy a big Television special, again, from Michael.  CBS gets pissed that they're not getting the ratings, and basically blackmail Michael... they call him up, and tell him they'll give him his video, as well as air his special that he was filming in november, if he'll give an interview to their news department.


So, bottom line, their newscrew flies to L.A. on fucking Christmas (so it can be on t.v. by Sunday) and bugs Michael on his holiday so they can get this fucking interview they're showing on t.v. tonight.  


Look how these media conglomerates (Sony, ABC, CBS, etc.) manipulate the BIGGEST ENTERTAINER IN THE WORLD.  Imagine how bad they're fucking over Snoop, or even worse, a group like Outkast, or whatever.  Some evil shit going on in the world of entertainment... blackmailing artists, holding videos for ransom, refusing to promote albums you're contractually bound to release, etc. etc. etc.

[West C. Connected]

Yup.

[KURUPTION-81]

some very good points there, god knows what they do to up and coming artists who dont understand there basic rights in the music industry.