I guess this thread is acceptable to post what I typed up.
@threatened2020
Yeah because time is money. Sometime in 1999, Michael invited Tommy and Cory Rooney to listen to Break of Dawn in the studio. This would've been around January-February if I had to guess. Both of the executives were ecstatic because the song was fantastic. Tommy then recommended Cory to write something for Michael, which is how She Was Lovin' Me came to be; it was recorded between late March and early April of the same year. Tommy and Michael had a good working relationship during this period and Sony was fully behind the project. Tommy wanted the album released the fourth quarter of the year so Michael would be set for the new millennium. Mind you, Michael had been recording the album for going on two years already at this point (from October 1997 onward).
From 1997 through 2001, Michael spent between 30-40 million dollars (there are no exact numbers, just around 30 or more), and that is not counting the additional 25-30 million Sony dropped on it for promotions after the fact. 55-75 million dollars is a lot of money for a single album, especially when you consider the album was not making back the budget spent on it. Should Tommy have dumped many more millions of dollars on it when it was already tanking? More promotion would have helped, but it would have created more debt in the process.
Anyway, in autumn of 2000, Michael had told Sony he was going to start having the songs mixed and ready for an early 2001 release. He flaked and did not do that. Instead, not only did he not properly communicate what he was doing, but he decided to extend the budget further and make more songs. If you were a Sony VP, would you be happy about this? Of course not. This was around the period when there was a bit of drama with LaShawn Daniels, who begrudgingly let him have 2000 Watts. Can you believe Michael just yoinked someone's title track?
Tommy was still not too angry with Michael, as he invited him to his wedding in December of that year. All was still fine even if they were not pleased with the amount of money and time taken. Just because you're Michael Jackson does not mean you get to spend unlimited money that isn't even yours. That's bad business, and it's something no one else would even remotely get away with it.
Michael had a meeting with the Sony executives in June of 2001. They listened to the album and were not thrilled. Apparently, the room went quiet and got tense. I'd probably have to look, but it was either this meeting or one after where Tommy and Michael got into a heated argument about the singles that would be released. Michael desperately needed to be reeled back in from whatever the **** was going on with the tracks he chose, and Sony was trying to do that, but he would not listen. All that happened was Shout got replaced (but this was around September and may not have involved Sony at all)... which was the wrong song to drop for sure. It was during this meeting that Michael withdrew, dropping his desire for Unbreakable to be the lead single, instead opting for what Sony wanted: You Rock My World. Michael agreed to start the process for filming the music video right away.
Later meetings would have Tommy and Michael arguing about which songs would get additional music videos--Michael wanted a video for Unbreakable and Threatened, but there were two problems. Michael wanted to break his contract and screw Sony out of money while also retaining full control of the album. Tommy was pissed and withdrew funding. Michael still had a door though, if he toured then they could make back money for the album. But given Michael's refusal to tour after 9/11 with the album sales sinking in spite of promotion, Sony was done with him at the time. Michael claimed he would fund it, but that never happened. While a tour would have increased the aforementioned debt further, it would have likely evened it out in the end. That was really all Michael could do given how poorly things were going, and according to Michael Prince, he was going to tour. Then 9/11 happened, and he changed his mind (Michael hated to tour as we know, so this was likely an excuse).
November of 2001 would be pivotal for Michael, as he went to Times Square to promote the album, but there was a lot of screaming and yelling going on in the background. This would be roughly when Michael would get angry about kicking Sony out of the picture and retaining complete control. Tommy gave him immediate backlash by refusing to air What More Can I Give (just a few days after the Times Square promotion). Michael made a lot of threats against the Sony executives, mainly Tommy, at the time. Those threats would be realized the following year.
Because of Sony withdrawing due to Michael's insane demands and refusal to cooperate, he went on his little anti-Sony/Tommy tour during the summer of 2002.
Michael still had to release an album and a boxset given his contract he signed shortly after Janet signed her Virgin contract, which topped hers... seems petty, but it could just be a coincidence. Michael was still on okay terms after the Invincible fiasco, because he received a cash advance for the Ultimate edition in 2004 before it was released. Things are not entirely what they appear.
This is just a basic overview, but there's been a lot of people that have talked at length about the innerworkings of the album and what actually happened. This is just from my memory right now. Michael took several years, spent a ton of money, wouldn't tour to make it back amid less than great sales, and then got angry Sony withdrew promotions over what happened in the background. I do agree with Michael though, Unbreakable would have been a better lead single than You Rock My World. And the video concept sounds a lot cooler too.
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