It seems to me theyāre just a bit afraid of a media backlash after LN. It is not easy to promote something en masse when MJ is connected to pedophilia, especially in the metoo era.
I have said it before but it is a miracle we are getting something in the first place, he could have easily been cancelled by nowā¦
We have been crying out for something new for a long time and we finally get something. T40 anniversary happens to be now and it was a good opportunity to test the current waters. They were never going to risk promoting a ānewā album without knowing if the appetite is there.
Thriller is easier to sell, it is a culturally relevant album, even his biggest adversaries canāt really claim otherwise. Does it need very expensive marketing? Probably not, critics will pick it up and write about it, people will talk about it especially when accompanied by the 4K videos it is bound to get some attention.
I think they will make a profit with this release and at the same time it gauges critical and commercial response for future projects.
If the media stays civil with T40 then I wouldnāt be surprised if releases in the future get bigger marketing. If the media goes full on attack and revives the pedophilia scandals we might not get anything anymore and even the biopic will get cancelled. But I guess many fans would like to see that happen, the fans behind the biopic are in an absolute minority.