Okay, let's break this one down sentence by sentence.
LONG POST ALERT -- summary at the bottom.
Eventually more music will be released...
Commentary from the Estate in regards to the condition of the vault has been so inconsistent and vague that it's difficult to ascertain what's fact and what's fiction. Karen Langford told the IRS that the vault was empty (I'll address that in depth next), yet the Estate here maintains that "eventually more music will be released." Who are they lying to?
... but there is nothing in the vaults that is finished and ready for release.
Oh. They're lying to the IRS.
It is a verifiable fact that there is completed music in existence that has yet to appear on a commercial product. Beyond the 10 bootlegged tracks that have popped up online over the last two decades, both John Branca and L.A. Reid have gone on record citing a minimum of 16 finished songs that were briefly considered for
Xscape. Better still, it's safe to assume that that number omits material written/produced by reluctant or abstained parties (e.g., Quincy Jones, RedOne, Rod Temperton, will.i.am). If the vault is truly void of completed material, what of those 16 tracks?
We don’t and won’t release everything in the vaults based on the choices Michael made during his life.
What is this newfound sense of righteousness? Four years ago they willingly produced a remix album in which contemporary producers completely ignored the original material and concocted new music around the pre-recorded vocals, and now suddenly they care about what Michael would've wanted done with his music?
We agree with LA Reid’s philosophy on Xscape: we prefer to start with those recordings on which Michael sang full vocals...
I assume this school of thought was only adopted following
Xscape, as there are several songs in their pre-2014 catalog that Michael never put full vocals to ("Hollywood Tonight," "Don't Be Messin' 'Round," "I'm So Blue," "Free," "Al Capone"). Hell, even "Love Never Felt So Good" isn't vocally finished!
... because we know those are the ones he put the most work into.
"Earth Song" toiled through six years of infrequent purification and several dozen mixes with a scratch vocal. Conversely, he ditched the completed "Loving You" rather promptly. Similarly, the finalized "Chicago" failed to make it past the summer of 1999, while "Shut Up and Dance" was granted no vocals whatsoever yet endured right up until his death. There are several other analogous examples to pick from.
There were many fully-finished songs that held little significance to Michael. Alternatively, there were many partial demos that he treasured. It was a case-by-case basis, and a blanket concept shouldn't be attributed to every outtake.
We are criticized by some fans when we don’t release unreleased material.
What self-pitying hogwash. Yes, those of us with an appetite for music will express some level of impatience or annoyance at delays or long periods of inactivity, but that's a commonality among an artist's fans, whether living or dead. Very few flat-out criticize the Estate for spacing out projects, as most of us are rational enough to recognize that Michael is no longer here to create new music, meaning all that exists is all that will
EVER exist. Complaining about lulls in action is the least of concerns, especially when taking into account everything that fans
could complain about.
Moreover, it should be noted that recent critiques have not been centered on the decision to step away from the vault, but rather on the bullsh*t rationales given to justify said decision. Honesty is always the best policy; whether or not we like the truth, the Estate would be far better off giving it.
And we are criticized by other fans when we release unreleased material using top producers, many of whom worked with Michael, to finish the recordings.
A considerable percentage of fans are preservationists — they want to hear the material essentially as it was found, without embellishments or outside interference, completely organic and authentic. That is hardly an unwarranted or excessive demand.
Even under circumstances in which outside producers must come in to finish the existing music, there is a clearly defined way to go about it: (a) only use individuals who knew Michael to an intimate-enough degree to properly execute his wishes onto a given track; and (b) enhance, DON'T remix.
MICHAEL was on the right course in this respect — the predominance of producers had collaborated with Michael in the past and, while clearly imperfect, the end game was to accentuate what was there rather than create from scratch and, on the whole, they succeeded — whereas
XSCAPE completely dropped the ball by welcoming producers who likely never met Michael, much less worked with him, and dismissed everything beyond the existing vocals.
If we released demos by themselves, they would not be commercially successful because they are, by definition, unfinished.
Though not a universal alibi, most fans empathize with the focus on commercial viability and understand why it is a focal point — the Estate IS a business, after all, and businesses shouldn't/can't be expected to funnel money into a project that won't make a profit.
But to discount the several avenues through which the Estate could disseminate "unfinished" material without spending an exorbitant amount of money either shows stupidity or laziness. Since Michael's existing catalog will persist as the chief source of funds, why not let current pressings go out-of-print and repackage Thriller or Dangerous with outtakes and demos, effectively forcing the public into buying them? Or why not replicate The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection and toss a parcel of music on iTunes, requiring only mixing/mastering fees? Or assume Michael's philosophy and drop a single every so often?
TL/DR; not only is the Estate's justification for going on a musical hiatus full of holes and inconsistencies, their reaction to fan criticism boils down to juvenile finger-pointing and complaints of maltreatment. Clearly those who identify as anti-Estate will complain either way, but for the bulk of us who so desperately want to see them succeed, this sort of response is equal parts ludicrious and disheartening.