Well, it’s been a real Celebrity Death Match lately, huh? People will not shut up about Michael Jackson. I’ve waited until today throw my rant at you; I’ve been too angry to write clearly. In all the smoke of hero-worship we easily lose sight of the real legacy of MJ. Of course MJ is both person and superstar. Frankly, I can’t stomach the personal discussion of him. Let that be argued by people more calm and rational than me. I know my limitations. Superstardom however, is just as important for us to understand. After all, we who read these pages are the folks who buy music, obsess over music, and in the end, who are directly influenced by how the industry changes. And in that respect, MJ was certainly a “titan” (a phrase used over at Matthew’s blog, here).
In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine reported that MJ and his sister Janet had landed the best, most lucrative record deals in history: deals that redefined superstar contracts in the entertainment industry. “Both Jacksons will receive perks that other recording artists, from Madonna to U2, can only dream about.” MJ became a 50/50 financial partner with Sony, with a deal that would “split the profits of his future albums — in addition to receiving artist, publishing and songwriting royalties.” How was this possible in an industry that was basically (and still is) dying due to the availability of online music? Why reward an artist with even more of your profits when your company is struggling to compete? We can see Michael Jackson as the last rope thrown out to a sinking boatload of music industry insiders. Product, meet market.
Superstars pretty much get what they want. They do this by using their identities and future appearances (physical as well as virtual) to leverage for their income. Michael Jackson was not just an entertainer, or a “humanitarian,” or a recording artist. He was a package deal. Time magazine reported in 1984 that “A good friend is right when he suggests that, ultimately, “Michael’s appeal is universal less because of his music than because of who he is.” He set out to make himself into the most expensive commodity that could be bought and sold and traded of his time. After Off The Wall was not as lucrative or recognized as he hoped, he told his lawyer, John Branca, that he wanted to be “the biggest star in show business, and the wealthiest.” To do this he needed to carefully construct an image, one that was fused with his recordings, the Pop Star. This image was what we all paid for when we bought his albums; when we paid for cable TV to see his video on MTV; when we purchased all those supermarket tabloids.
His contract with Sony allowed him to be:
paid on every album sold; most artists are paid on only eighty-five percent of the records sold. … If his next album sells 10 million copies, Jackson could earn — from profit sharing and artist, songwriting and publishing royalties — a record $2.80 per unit sold, or $28 million. And if sales reach 20 million to 25 million, he would receive more than $3 a unit, or between $60 million and $75 million. By contrast, it’s estimated that Madonna receives less than $2 a unit. … As several industry insiders note, what Jackson has done is bet on himself – bet that he will have many more multiplatinum albums and thus earn hundreds of millions of dollars based on his share of the revenue. Rolling Stone (May 2 1991) p. 15-16.
He knew he could take this gamble by 1991 because of his past ability to be exactly what we wanted. Is that wrong of him? Perhaps not, if he had proved to us that he had unparalleled musical talent.
But remember, he’s a superstar. “So now it’s not just about music or even the number of records or concert tickets you can sell, but fame, and who has the highest profile to offer and an international media giant struggling to put a human face on its operations.” (Dancing in the Distraction Factory by Andrew Goodwin, 1992) Talent is only a small part of the package. Superstars base their success on their image, not on their ability to write music (which he had little to none – his songs were written by others, or, at best, melodies were sung into a tape by him to be made into a song by others), to play an instrument (he did not), to sing like no other (Smokey Robinson was a mentor for a reason, no?). One thing Michael could do was dance. Well, he also dressed pretty snappy, had a habit of doing something morally shocking just after an album was released, and generally provide enough antics to keep the press talking about him. That is the role of superstar, is it not?
Every time we laid eyes or ears on MJ we had to pay for it. Don’t fool yourself that it was only the big labels who doled out the money. That was our money. We bought the concert tickets:
On his worldwide Dangerous tour, megastar Michael Jackson performed before 70,000 fans at National Stadium in Bucharest, Romania. Jackson’s historic concert, which nearly overshadowed the country’s general election, was mounted with a security force of some 20,000 police officers. The $16 ticket price, which was lower than the price charged in other countries, amounted to a quarter of the average monthly salary for city residents. Jet v. 82 (October 19 1992) p. 62
We bought the clothing (gloves, jackets, jeans, t-shirts, you name it – it existed), and the Pepsi endorsed by the King of Pop. MJ was labeled as “A one-man rescue team for the music business.” (Time, March 19,1984). Don King said of the Jackson’s tour of 1985, “if the boys decide to exploit every avenue of merchandising and marketing available to them—T shirts, pay-per-view TV concerts, clothing lines, perfume lines, product identification—the tour could gross $100 million.”
We paid to watch the Superbowl and bought VCRs just for him:
Michael Jackson’s legacy will forever include this title: King of Pigskin. His three-song medley at halftime of Dallas’s 52-17 trouncing of Buffalo in 1993 signified a tectonic shift for the N.F.L. For years, the league had packed its halftimes with a roster of the unhip… New York Times 6/30/2009, p10
Public fascination with his videos was so great that people rushed out to buy VCRs to play the tightly choreographed, 13-minute video and hour-long documentary, “The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.” USA Today 06/30/2009
When the smart negotiator made a deal with Sony, in 1995 to merge the Beatles’ catalog and hundreds of other songs he had bought copyright to with Sony’s catalog he stood to make a net profit of $95 million. But it had far more dire consequences for the music industry. Jackson said in a press statement: “The merging of ATV with Sony establishes our commitment to create one of the largest music publishing ventures in the world. We have been working on this for over a year and, now, with the two of us together, the sky is our only limit.”" Jet. Chicago: Nov 27, 1995. Vol. 89, Iss. 3; pg. 36
That is the music industry conglomerate that indie labels and artists have fought against in order to have a say in their careers and to be able to produce a wider variety of musical genres; to include queers and women, and people of all races in who to makes our music. That is the monster that looks out for its copyright to such an extent that the RIAA is willing to take individual fans to court and attempt to extract from them hundreds of thousands of dollars, in order to prove their point; the point being, this is MINE. Note that these individuals report no profit made on their illegal downloads in most cases. “Michael P. Schulhof, president and CEO, Sony Corporation of America, said: “Michael Jackson is not only the most successful entertainer in history; he is also an astute businessman. Michael understands the importance of copyrights and the role they play in the introduction of new technologies. In joining us for this new venture, Michael recognizes Sony’s leadership in developing and realizing new technologies that serve to expand the creative horizons of artists such as himself.”" Jet. Chicago: Nov 27, 1995. Vol. 89, Iss. 3; pg. 36
It’s just unfortunate that the copyright laws also protected the rights of other musicians against MJ. But superstars don’t really have to play by the rules do they?
Superstar Michael Jackson’s lawyer, Bertram Fields, has denied copyright infringement charges brought against Jackson by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra alleges that Jackson used a choral snippet from its recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the beginning of the song “Will You Be There” on his Dangerous album and that it received no credit or compensation. The orchestra, which is seeking at least $7 million from Jackson, Epic Records, and Epic’s parent company, Sony Music Entertainment, recorded the symphony for Columbia Records, which is now also owned by Sony.
The lawyer’s explanation included him saying that he believed the use of the recording was “permitted” and that Sony had known “what Jackson was doing and didn’t object” Jet v. 82 (May 11 1992) p. 60
What are we left with at the end of the day to explain the impact of Michael Jackson on the music industry? We’re left with stronger concentration of power in the major labels; raised stakes for artists who are negotiating contracts; a fine example of how to market yourself as a total package; and a very strong idea that he with the most money gets to make the rules. That is his legacy folks, get over it. Spoiled Brats of the Ruling Class.
Michael Jackson was no musician to emulate. He rarely paid homage to those who had gone before him in the struggle to integrate Blacks into the White majority cultural stronghold. What about Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, Dianna Ross?, “Jackson was not the first” as Paul Kahn, Newtonville, Mass., wrote in his letter to the editor, USA Today 06/30/2009. MJ did not even begin to approach the musical genius of Prince (as I and others will school you on, if you’re so inclined… maybe even if you’re not), not even close to Sly And The Family Stone, Everybody is a Star, or James Brown. But MJ did make himself a superstar. Do we need more of those? I think not.
Anne Feeney
Cat Stevens
Peeping Tom
Sly & The Family Stone
(weird playlist isn’t it? well that’s me 
)
Doesn’t the most money always make the rules. When the same company owns the studio, magazines, a TV network and a block of radio stations, a superstar can be created out of thin air. Beware the Govt/media complex.
And long live music critics, eh? I’m not usually championing the music media because it can be as ingrown and consolidated as the industry it depends on. But, at least someone has a chance to call a spade a spade out there. I’d love to read some negative reviews of MJ’s work in the day. Oh for more leisure time! Thanks for your comment, Andrew xoxo
Interesting angle Tart, and one I’d given little thought to. It is a little scary when you think about the power some individuals wield.
Thanks Milo, I think maybe it’s more clear when you’re old enough (I’m an old, old lady haha)to remember the process of consolidating power. In the 80s this was happening on all fronts, not just the music business and we felt it, and talked about it, and even as all these superstars were created we also (with concerted effort) sniffed out the local, unknown, unsigned bands who played their instruments and wrote their own music. That’s not to say that I didn’t own any MJ records or hope I won tickets when he came to my town! He was the monster we all hated and loved back before the other allegations became public. Thanks for reading, hun xoxo
no pun in calling a spade a spade here is there….?
Having never been an MJ fan I don’t get all the tears and accolades. He reminds me of Elvis. Another artist that did not write but found an image and became the KING. MJ was able to take it a step farther and become a real mogul where poor Elvis just got the chicks/drugs/bad movie roles/liberace’s wardrobe/etc.
I agree w/ Milo, cool angle tart.
Well, Elvis could play guitar. Especially in the early days it was obvious that he had musical abilities. It was a real shame he was the man he was, I do love some of his music still, but yes, the mourning period seems to be shockingly similar!
Thanks hun
when I’m pissed off I find the best cure is research!
Warts and all, MJ is part of our cultural backdrop, and will be for a long time to come. He was clearly off his rocker insane, had at the very least conflicted feelings about children and such extreme self-loathing that he felt it necessary to essentially disfigure himself through excessive plastic surgeries, but had such paranoia about how he was perceived that he continually lied about said surgery despite how painfully obvious it was he’d had them.
He was also one hell of a performer, singer and dancer. Whether he wrote his own music has no effect on whether I appreciate the finished product. If the music is good, why the hell does it matter who wrote it? Doesn’t mean I don’t have great respect for singer/songwriters and folks who can play their instruments, but it doesn’t diminish MJ’s ability to command an audience. And the man really could command an audience. How much of his material he wrote or didn’t write is always going to be up in the air – after all, Quincey Jones isn’t exactly a modest fella himself, so how much he’s exaggerating his contributions is a matter of debate. At the end of the day, writing credits went to MJ alone on a great many of his songs (and almost the entirety of Bad is attributed to him as sole writer).
It’s sad he died due to that same unnecessary addiction to surgery/doctors/prescriptions, but part of me feels somewhat relieved, honestly. The guy had clearly suffered an unbearably painful childhood, decades of abuse from his father (whether physical or verbal) and a family that provided absolutely no emotional support system. He’s basically been living in exile for the last decade, could never go out in public and was millions in debt. He was either greeted as a messiah or a pariah. Who wants to live like that? Part of me thinks the guy had to have been looking for a way out.
The memorial was a disgusting circus and just another, very public demonstration of his family’s complete lack of decency or possession of real, genuine familial ties. There was no obligation to parade his coffin in public so that Magic Johnson could relate a funny anecdote or Mariah Carey could sing one of his songs. It was gross, gross, gross, and I regret even coming upon the few bits I’ve seen rebroadcast that showed the aforementioned moments. Those children are likely already screwed, but they should definitely be taken as far away from his mother or any other blood relative as soon humanly possible. Not that the mother that essentially sold them should really be placed in charge, either. Give them to Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt, surely that can’t be any weirder a surroundings and they’ll probably feel right at home.
In the end, I think the public mourning is overstated and hyperbole is being thrown around like fact, but the reality is this man sold more records than anyone else, alive or dead. 3/4 of a billion. Think about that number. It’s insane. He just posthumously sold 800,000 albums last week. The man hadn’t had a hit in 15 years and he sold 2.6 million singles in one week! Right or wrong, flawed or god, people responded to his music. So while I might prefer Prince as much as you do, I still can’t claim Prince has had the influence on pop music that MJ has. But I’m definitely sick of him at the moment, as I would be with anyone if I had to hear about them nonstop for 2 weeks and was subjected to replays of their entire back catalog no matter where I tune into. And if I hear one more person say we should ‘only remember the good he did’ I’m going to puke all over them, slap them silly, then vomit again, for good measure.
A cultural icon for sure, but at what price? And I don’t just mean the price he personally paid, which is obviously huge. But also what price to his fans? What price to the industry? So yeah I hear you, but I can’t celebrate this “life” he had at our expense. And I’d argue that the reason Prince had the influence he did (which is not as huge, culturally, but musically? I’m not so sure) was because of his blatant freaky sexuality. MJ portrayed himself as an ingenue and a “boy” man and we accepted that image far easier than a 4′10 half naked man with a giant boa constrictor. ‘Nuff said.
Interesting take on the whole Jackson-death circus and his legacy. I’d say you nailed it.
I’m with Sean, too, in that the clips I’ve seen of the memorial made me feel ill, especially the egging on of the daughter. To me, it looked like a desperate attempt to prove to the world that “they belong with us,” as a prep for, perhaps, a court battle. Of course her daddy was the best father! (And I’m sure she really has nobody to compare him to. Why would he not be, with nannies, cooks, etc., to do all of the real work? He had nothing but time for the kids, unlike most moms and dads who must work, then return home to care for the kids. But I digress.) I’m sure the kids all loved their daddy dearly, and will miss him every day. I feel so badly for them, and hope that they will not suffer long-term emotional difficulties.
I’m tired of the folks who keep saying, “He did such good,” as if writing “We Are The World” has somehow united us all forever, and now we’re all chummy in the world. The record raised millions, and it’s still argued that quite a bit less than that actually made it to Africa. No, that’s not Jackson’s fault, I know. I always say that a good message song is fine, and I love them, but, in the end, they really don’t solve anything. If people hear the message, take it to heart, and act, then the message isn’t wasted. If people just sing the song and move on, then the message is wasted, and you still have a good song!
Anyway, I saw one clip from the memorial with the picture of MJ with his arms out. There was a crowd on stage. It looked like a church, and Michael’s image was the “Jesus on the Cross.” Please.
So, thanks, Tarty Tart, for posting this. I was beginning to believe I was the only one who didn’t feel the love and adoration for this talented, but terribly flawed superstar.
Gee thanks Nat… I just became enraged with all the rewriting of history that’s occurred over this. I mean, as you say, since when did the Jackson Family become a role model? How did their reputation get so cleansed with the death of MJ? It only goes to prove that we are more afraid of death than of remembering the truth of what happened. Sad isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by! xoxo
Very well thought out and reasoned.
I heard one hagiographer say that Michael Jackson was Elvis, the Rolling Stones, Sinatra and the Beatles all rolled into one. I’m so tired of hearing these kinds of bogus claims.
Thanks, coming from you that compliment earns high marks! I got so fed up with statements exactly like that one you heard, and others even more outlandish on twitter. It seems that music fans have a memory about three inches long, … well ok, maybe seven, the width of a single record.
I don’t know, wasn’t Michael Jackson’s sexuality freakier than anything Prince ever did? Maybe I’m confusing the reality with the image.
Prince’s third album
Prince’s tenth album
Michael Jackson’s third album
Michael Jackson’s tenth album? Uh, he didn’t have one. (Prince is a year older than Michael)
Great rant tart.
Within hours of his death, I predicted over at my own wee place that the record company moguls would be rubbing their hands with glee at the spike in sales. 800,000 of them without a need to spend a penny or cent on marketing. A great revenue earner indeed.
Yep, it’s like the perfect storm isn’t it? Man offers up self as ultimate product, label makes incredible deal for the offer and takes it all the way to the bank… even after his death. Ugh.