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John Branca - There will be no History 30th, we have Broadway show right now and a major movie coming.

love1sfatal said:
This reminds me they did have some bigger plans for HIStory 25 (until the pandemic happened), why not just have their team finish whatever they were doing for that anniversary and release that on the 30th? All of that is just gonna go to waste? (well I mean...not shocked if it does lmao)
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It appears that The Estate/John Branca changed their minds on that matter.

And this change eventually makes sense, because it would be unwise to celebrate/glorify the 'HIStory' album (with an anniversary release) given that it is an album which thematically revolves around Michael Jackson's child sexual abuse accusations against him.
 
Fuzball said:
They could release a 2CD&1DVD set (original double album & documentary) along with an inflatable mini statue in 2028.šŸ˜„
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I wish yall stop with physical media releases. Not a soul is releasing anything on DVD in 2025.
 
mj_frenzy said:
It appears that The Estate/John Branca changed their minds on that matter.

And this change eventually makes sense, because it would be unwise to celebrate/glorify the 'HIStory' album (with an anniversary release) given that it is an album which thematically revolves around Michael Jackson's child sexual abuse accusations against him.
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Yeah but as far as we know the biopic is also discussing exactly that though so like...
 
mj_frenzy said:
It appears that The Estate/John Branca changed their minds on that matter.

And this change eventually makes sense, because it would be unwise to celebrate/glorify the 'HIStory' album (with an anniversary release) given that it is an album which thematically revolves around Michael Jackson's child sexual abuse accusations against him.
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Although Iā€™m not particularly vying for an anniversary edition of HIStory at the moment, -although I wouldnā€™t be against it- I find your summation a little harsh? Sure, it is perhaps what you say it is, but parallel to that it is also a magnum opus of sorts. The musicality and production on it is sublime. Michaelā€™s songwriting has evolved and heā€™s matured as an artist. Artistically it deals with several issues that are prescient in todayā€™s society, such as global warming and racial inequality. From great pain comes great art. It shouldnā€™t be dismissed or thought of as less because of what it deals with.
 
mj_frenzy said:
It appears that The Estate/John Branca changed their minds on that matter.

And this change eventually makes sense, because it would be unwise to celebrate/glorify the 'HIStory' album (with an anniversary release) given that it is an album which thematically revolves around Michael Jackson's child sexual abuse accusations against him.
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An anniversary release is for the fan base. Plus, the themes of HIStory include loneliness / isolation, greed, injustice, environmental concerns, media intrusion. Let's throw in child neglect. Yes, he wrote about the allegations but many of the themes on the album were things that happened to him throughout his entire life or they were lifelong concerns of his.

The project got derailed by Covid and now MJE is focused on other stuff.
 
zinniabooklover said:
An anniversary release is for the fan base. Plus, the themes of HIStory include loneliness / isolation, greed, injustice, environmental concerns, media intrusion. Let's throw in child neglect. Yes, he wrote about the allegations but many of the themes on the album were things that happened to him throughout his entire life or they were lifelong concerns of his.

The project got derailed by Covid and now MJE is focused on other stuff.
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I like you. And I like this post. And I like that siggy. Yes.
 
Dumb question: has there ever been a petition with what fans would want to be released? If we start one and share it and a lot of people will sign, maybe we will get something?

I feel like I am too optimistic but maaaaybe? šŸ™ƒ
 
someplace_else said:
Dumb question: has there ever been a petition with what fans would want to be released? If we start one and share it and a lot of people will sign, maybe we will get something?

I feel like I am too optimistic but maaaaybe? šŸ™ƒ
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We love and appreciate the passion of Michaelā€™s fans. We know how privileged we are to have known and have worked with Michael and we take seriously the trust he put in us to manage his assets and his legacy. We also know how fortunate we are that, with the King of Pop, ā€œthe greatest entertainer that ever livedā€, comes an enormous, diverse and passionate fan community with varying and sometimes conflicting views about everything related to Michael. And that naturally includes the projects undertaken by the Estate. We therefore welcome the fansā€™ comments and great support as, even when there is criticism, it demonstrates a shared passion and love for Michael. [...] The critiques we do receive remind us that we canā€™t please everyone all the time.


FAQ

This page has been created to provide answers to commonly asked questions received by the Estate through the Michael Jackson Online Team. The page will be updated occasionally with additional questions and answers and you can submit questions for consideration through the submission form on this...
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com
 
Fuzball said:
We love and appreciate the passion of Michaelā€™s fans. We know how privileged we are to have known and have worked with Michael and we take seriously the trust he put in us to manage his assets and his legacy. We also know how fortunate we are that, with the King of Pop, ā€œthe greatest entertainer that ever livedā€, comes an enormous, diverse and passionate fan community with varying and sometimes conflicting views about everything related to Michael. And that naturally includes the projects undertaken by the Estate. We therefore welcome the fansā€™ comments and great support as, even when there is criticism, it demonstrates a shared passion and love for Michael. [...] The critiques we do receive remind us that we canā€™t please everyone all the time.


FAQ

This page has been created to provide answers to commonly asked questions received by the Estate through the Michael Jackson Online Team. The page will be updated occasionally with additional questions and answers and you can submit questions for consideration through the submission form on this...
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com
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Yeah, I know their website-blah-blah, but I am talking about a petition with thousands of votes and concrete examples of what we would like to get šŸ¤·. Maybe they just need some inspiration šŸ˜…
 
Another thread with terrible posts by the usual suspect. Amazing.
 
mj_frenzy said:
It appears that The Estate/John Branca changed their minds on that matter.

And this change eventually makes sense, because it would be unwise to celebrate/glorify the 'HIStory' album (with an anniversary release) given that it is an album which thematically revolves around Michael Jackson's child sexual abuse accusations against him.
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HIStory 25 at 2020 with Money as a promo single would have been a great answer to a LN that came out at 2019.
 
someplace_else said:
Dumb question: has there ever been a petition with what fans would want to be released? If we start one and share it and a lot of people will sign, maybe we will get something?

I feel like I am too optimistic but maaaaybe? šŸ™ƒ
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The core fanbase is sadly not the estate's main target audience. They know that die hard fans will buy whatever comes out anyway and that it's not a huge percentage of their sales.
What they aim for is to bring "new audiences" and that's what their strategy is focusing on, that's why they don't invest on niche releases such as "10 unheard demos from this or that album that only a die hard fans will find interest in", instead they focus on very mainstream projects such as Biopics and Musicals, Cirque Du Soleil shows, remix albums... so that young people who didn't grow up with MJ get to discover him.

I'm sure the estate already knows what we want (unreleased concerts in HD/4K, new songs, reissues of every album including unreleased demos etc...) but it's way less lucrative for them than a Cirque Du Soleil show that brings millions every year so they probably see that as a waste of resources.
 
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alexbism said:
The core fanbase is sadly not the estate's main target audience. They know that die hard fans will buy whatever comes out anyway and that it's not a huge percentage of their sales.
What they aim for is to bring "new audiences" and that's what their strategy is focusing on, that's why they don't invest on niche releases such as "10 unheard demos from this or that album that only a die hard fans will find interest in", instead they focus on very mainstream projects such as Biopics and Musicals, Cirque Du Soleil shows, remix albums... so that young people who didn't grow up with MJ get to discover him.

I'm sure the estate already knows what we want (unreleased concerts in HD/4K, new songs, reissues of every album including unreleased demos etc...) but it's way less lucrative for them than a Cirque Du Soleil show that brings millions every year so they probably see that as a waste of resources.
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I know, in the petition - thread I already mentioned that we also should keep in mind what benefits them most šŸ„². But maybe with the Biopic coming out and having more new fans/interested people after, they see the need to having a lot of material out there in the best quality possible.
 
someplace_else said:
I know, in the petition - thread I already mentioned that we also should keep in mind what benefits them most šŸ„². But maybe with the Biopic coming out and having more new fans/interested people after, they see the need to having a lot of material out there in the best quality possible.
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I appreciate your optimism, hope it goes this way šŸ™
 
someplace_else said:
I know, in the petition - thread I already mentioned that we also should keep in mind what benefits them most šŸ„². But maybe with the Biopic coming out and having more new fans/interested people after, they see the need to having a lot of material out there in the best quality possible.
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I see the genuine struggle though. To put out passion projects requires an audience. To build an audience requires eyes. Making a documentary is not enough to build eyes. Neither is Netflix. What is gonna do it is what already did it, the music. Namely, broadcast on the biggest platform, cinema.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I see the genuine struggle though. To put out passion projects requires an audience. To build an audience requires eyes. Making a documentary is not enough to build eyes. Neither is Netflix. What is gonna do it is what already did it, the music. Namely, broadcast on the biggest platform, cinema.
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My thoughts are: Biopic comes out, a lot of people see it, many of them google Michael's music, concerts or short films afterwards (guess that will be the majority of the searches).

So it would be the reasonable decision that that material is out there in the best quality, to make sure that as many people as possible will watch/download/listen (to) it, because the Estate wants to make as much $$ as possible, right?

I get it that it will be hard to get demos etc. because that's not as lucrative for them. But all the concerts and short films you find on YouTube could look waaay better than what you can find these days.

I mean, a big part of Michael's success was that he always pushed boundaries and created material that people wanted to watch because they have never seen something like that before. Remastering everything is the logical consequence for me, so it's a good time to ask - at least - for that.
 
someplace_else said:
So it would be the reasonable decision that that material is out there in the best quality, to make sure that as many people as possible will watch/download/listen (to) it, because the Estate wants to make as much $$ as possible, right?
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They started with Thriller and Beat It in 4K. They've "Remastered" the Off The Wall stuff, as best as is possible. Doing the Bad-Invincible Era stuff is largely a sinch, with a few exceptions perhaps.

As for concerts, idek where to start, you already got Wembley and Bucharest, everything else is kinda a variable ain't it?
 
someplace_else said:
So it would be the reasonable decision that that material is out there in the best quality, to make sure that as many people as possible will watch/download/listen (to) it, because the Estate wants to make as much $$ as possible, right?
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Artists make little if anything from streaming, and that includes the currently most popular ones like Adele or Taylor Swift. They generally get a percentage of 1 cent for each stream. Lesser known singers/bands don't get enough streams to make a difference. It's the streaming services and the record labels that make the money. Spotify & Youtube now has A.I. songs & artists where they don't have to pay anybody, which also dilutes the already crowded roster of real artists. There's a entire post-Napster generation that grew up on free music. Record labels have brought back records & cassettes, but they don't sell enough and are more expensive than a CD. 1 new release vinyl album can cost up to $50 US. In general, records/tapes seem to be things that hipsters (or Taylor Swift fans, since she's the current biggest seller of physical records) buy, not the general public, who make playlists to listen to. Also a lot of people watch music reaction videos on Youtube, where people talk over the songs or stop them every so often to comment.
 
I don't know how much effort it is to improve all the material, surely depends on how it was filmed. But they clearly could afford a big team to realise it 'til the Bioptic is out there.

Concerts - also depends on the material they have...I mean there was filmed so much, can't we at least have 2-3 concerts of every tour in good quality? Some variables changed over the duration of the individual tours (e.g. setlist and outfits)...and we are speaking of f.ing Michael Jackson, so it's really sad to have so little material out there. It's a bad joke for me...with AI there are so many new options to remaster everything.
 
DuranDuran said:
Artists make little if anything from streaming, and that includes the currently most popular ones like Adele or Taylor Swift. They generally get a percentage of 1 cent for each stream. Lesser known singers/bands don't get enough streams to make a difference. It's the streaming services and the record labels that make the money. Spotify & Youtube now has A.I. songs where they don't have to pay anybody, which also dilutes the already crowded real artists. There's a entire post-Napster generation that grew up on free music. Record labels have brought back records & cassettes, but they don't sell enough and are more expensive than a CD. 1 new release vinyl album can cost up to $50 US. In general, records/tapes seem to be things that hipsters (or Taylor Swift fans, since she's the current biggest seller of physical records) buy, not the general public, who make playlists to listen to. Also a lot of people watch music reaction videos on Youtube, where people talk over the songs or stop them every so often to comment.
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So how to make money then? We need arguments for them šŸ™ƒ
 
someplace_else said:
So how to make money then? We need arguments for them šŸ™ƒ
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Rebuying reissued records was probably more of a boomer thing to do. Like Beatles albums & Dark Side Of The Moon every few years. The boomers are getting up in age and dying off. Probably merchandising is the best way to make money today. That's how Marilyn Monroe remains popular. It's not because of her movies. I doubt most of the younger generations have seen any of them. She's sort of like Mickey Mouse or Superman, a merchandising mascot. Same for Bruce Lee.

The Beatles & KISS has all kinds of stuff: Lego Sets, Monopoly games, dolls, clocks, action figures, Funko Pops, picture books, etc. I've seen George Harrison & Bob Marley turntables.

The major record labels today have 360 deals, where they get some of the touring & merchandising income. A deceased artist can't tour. Well Elvis Presley has, They have done concerts for him where his vocals are isolated and they show his footage on a screen. There's a band and background singers performing live with Elvis vocals/footage. The earlier ones had many of the actual musicians/singers who toured with Elvis. There's also tribute bands & singers. But I think mainly hardcore fans go to see those.
 
Now I imagine recreating his concerts with a mixture of big LED walls with a narrow pixel pitch, showing tour material that was filmed back then and 3D laser projection of him dancing. Ugh, I want šŸ˜¶
 
DuranDuran said:
Rebuying reissued records was probably more of a boomer thing to do. Like Beatles albums & Dark Side Of The Moon every few years. The boomers are getting up in age and dying off. Probably merchandising is the best way to make money today. That's how Marilyn Monroe remains popular. It's not because of her movies. I doubt most of the younger generations have seen any of them. She's sort of like Mickey Mouse or Superman, a merchandising mascot. Same for Bruce Lee.

The Beatles & KISS has all kinds of stuff: Lego Sets, Monopoly games, dolls, clocks, action figures, Funko Pops, picture books, etc. I've seen George Harrison & Bob Marley turntables.

The major record labels today have 360 deals, where they get some of the touring & merchandising income. A deceased artist can't tour. Well Elvis Presley has, They have done concerts for him where his vocals are isolated and they show his footage on a screen. There's a band and background singers performing live with Elvis vocals/footage. The earlier ones had many of the actual musicians/singers who toured with Elvis. There's also tribute bands & singers. But I think mainly hardcore fans go to see those.
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It is unlikely that The Michael Jackson Estate will make a merchandising deal with Lego, considering what happened in 1989.

Back then, Lego (in its UK LEGO Club magazine named Bricks 'n Pieces and as a way to advertise its products) made fun of Michael Jackson by using his plastic, cosmetic surgeries on his face:

"Amazing what you can make out of plastic these days" (Lego Advertisement)

As a result, Michael Jackson and his lawyers sued Lego for defamation of character.
 
alexbism said:
What they aim for is to bring "new audiences" and that's what their strategy is focusing on, that's why they don't invest on niche releases such as "10 unheard demos from this or that album that only a die hard fans will find interest in", instead they focus on very mainstream projects such as Biopics and Musicals, Cirque Du Soleil shows, remix albums... so that young people who didn't grow up with MJ get to discover him.
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But what's the point of bringing new audiences if they don't bother keeping them once they have them? They need to do both: bring in new fans and then keep them interested.
 
etoile 37 said:
But what's the point of bringing new audiences if they don't bother keeping them once they have them? They need to do both: bring in new fans and then keep them interested.
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But what about MJs current catalogue and canon is uninteresting? It's only old fans who have exhausted it.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
But what about MJs current catalogue and canon is uninteresting? It's only old fans who have exhausted it.
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This is not really true. The majority of Mike's recordings are mostly ignored (Motown & The Jacksons), even by older fans. How many people have listened to something like the Goin' Places album? You can go to Youtube and most of the group songs have very few views, other than a few exceptions like I Want You Back or Shake Your Body. I even very rarely hear State Of Shock on oldies radio. That duet Jermaine did with Pia Zadora has way more views than many of the brothers songs and I have never in my life heard that track on the radio. šŸ¤£

Mike didn't really record that much in his solo career like Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, or Prince. All of them have maybe hundreds of completed unreleased songs. Nothing is done with the brothers old TV stuff like the variety show or Goin' Back To Indiana. Yet, they still show reruns of the Sonny & Cher Show & The Monkees on TV. Currently complete episodes of The Midnight Special are being put on Youtube, one episode per week (like when it originally ran) and also individual clips. But those shows wouldn't have anything to do with the estate, but the TV networks that owns them & Motown. It's not like the family variety show has that many episodes like the other programs, it shouldn't be too hard to put them out some kind of way. Their cartoon show was briefly released on DVD & Blu-ray, then went out of print.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
But what about MJs current catalogue and canon is uninteresting? It's only old fans who have exhausted it.
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I wouldn't say we need new material and/or remastering of existing material because it's boring, but to keep everything up to date. Over the years the quality will appear worse and worse and people will be less interested.

When you have an active fanbase that is excited for new stuff to come, it is more likely they will stay.
 
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