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Quincy Jones sues Michael Jackson’s estate over royalties

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Quincy Jones Sues Michael Jackson's Estate for $10 Million


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QUINCY JONES SUES MICHAEL JACKSON'S ESTATE FOR $10 MILLION
And no, it isn't April Fools..


Maybe Quincy Jones didn't want to be startin' somethin', but somethin' has begun, nonetheless.
The 80-year-old music legend, who coproduced Michael Jackson's biggest albums, including Thriller, has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the late pop icon's estate, alleging that "clandestine arrangements" put in place have served to cheat him out of royalties he's due for his contributions to Jackson's earlier work. Per court documents obtained by E! News, Jones claims that the recordings he worked on have been edited and remixed in a way to deprive him of his deserved cut from projects like the This Is It soundtrack and the two current Cirque du Soleil shows that utilize Jackson's music.

"Quincy has been frustrated with these matters for a number of years, felt he was not making any progress and needed to take more formal action," his attorney, Henry Gradstein, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman said in a statement that they were "saddened to learn that Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking money from Michael's estate. To the best of [the estate's] knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael." The lawsuit, filed today in L.A. Superior Court, charges that Jackson's estate "secretly entered into a venture agreement with Sony" to share profits in violation of deals Jones signed in 1978 and 1985 assuring that he would get a "backend" piece from the sale of revamped tracks.

The deals also gave him the first opportunity to remix or re-edit any of the master recordings that he was a part of if he so desired, the suit contends.
In addition to co-producing Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad with Jackson, he also conducted and produced the famed charity ensemble recording "We Are the World," which was written by M.J. and Lionel Richie, featured Jackson as a soloist and five of his siblings in the chorus.
In suing for breach of contract, Jones is seeking at least $10 million in damages, a full accounting of what he may be owed and other unspecified compensation.
Jackson's estate suffered another legal blow early this month when a jury found entertainment promoter AEG Live not liable in the singer's 2009 death from an accidental propofol overdose - and therefore didn't owe his beneficiaries a cent.

Feel free to hit the source article on E! and HuffingtonPost :sigh:​
 
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My regard for Quincy hit a low point when I saw him on Letterman a few years ago, and while he spoke fondly of Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, and SnoopDog, there was no mention of Michael, who as far as I'm concerned, put Quincy on the map. Maybe he had this lawsuit on his mind? Who knows.
Anyway, props to Greeneyes for spotting the link between Wade and Quincy. Thank you Green-eyed one!
 
But in September I think, that backstabber was in a seminar in Dubai praising Michael and I bet he earned thousands of dollars, HOW "convenient"!

The fact Q has the same lawyer than Robson makes that betrayal more disgusting!
 
If he is due more money, then by all means he should pursue this.

I'd imagine he gets a royalty check anytime any of his work with MJ is released, but there must be more to it than that.

Hopefully the fans won't turn on him with the HE JUST CARES ABOUT MONEY nonsense, because at the end of the day, this is how he made/makes his living.
 
AtlasAir said:
If he is due more money, then by all means he should pursue this.

I'd imagine he gets a royalty check anytime any of his work with MJ is released, but there must be more to it than that.

Hopefully the fans won't turn on him with the HE JUST CARES ABOUT MONEY nonsense, because at the end of the day, this is how he made/makes his living.
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some of you act as if the estate wasn't paying royalties. for every project the estate makes sure they pay the relevant parties be it songwriters or producers. the problem come in when people think they are entitled to more than they deserve. of course the estate will show them the other direction, to put it politely.

and this statement by the estate seems to reinforce that perception.

in a statement to THR, Howard Weitzman, lawyer for the Michael Jackson Estate, says the estate "was saddened to learn that Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking money from Michael's estate. To the best of its knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael."
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NeeChee said:
My regard for Quincy hit a low point when I saw him on Letterman a few years ago, and while he spoke fondly of Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, and SnoopDog, there was no mention of Michael, who as far as I'm concerned, put Quincy on the map. Maybe he had this lawsuit on his mind? Who knows.
Anyway, props to Greeneyes for spotting the link between Wade and Quincy. Thank you Green-eyed one!
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That Michael put him on the map is an exaggeration, but without doubt his albums with Michael are his most famous ones, so if he failed to mention Michael while mentioning all others he worked with is not too classy.

I don't think though that this lawsuit is something personal to Quincy. He did not claim anything bad about Michael, any problem he's got is with MJ's Estate (and things they allegedly did after MJ's death) and not Michael personally. In fact, Quincy tweeted "Happy Birthday Smelly" last August and just a couple of days ago he retweeted that Ohio Marching Band tribute to MJ. So he does not seem to "hate" Michael. I know he said some questionable and rude things in the past (esp. regarding Michael's skin and children, and trying to downplay his talent), but I don't think this one is meant as a personal attack. It's strictly business.

The only thing I'm disturbed about is his connection with Wade Robson's lawyer. If it was with some other lawyer I would not even care about this issue much - let the Court/Judge decide if he's right or wrong. No biggie. But on that lawyer's part it does look shady and with ulterior motives. I can easily imagine though that Quincy is clueless about that connection. Or even about WR's allegations at all, because if you don't hang on MJ forums or on gossip websites such as TMZ you could easily miss those news. It wasn't that widely publicized.
 
And so it goes on...Maybe the Estate should put up a stand outside the cemetery Shouting "roll up... roll up" those who want money from MJ's coffers. MJ must be spinning like a top. What do they want to put Jackson family on skid row. Holy Mary mercy me can't believe what I read ....
 
I am sick and tired of Quincy Jones getting a pass. This man has spewed nothing but garbage on different occassions about Michael. Even a blind man can see the bitterness and resentment he harbors toward Michael for getting the boot.

He started throwing Michael under the bus as far back as 2003/2005 by saying 'I know the music not the man' and that was during the trial. Another instance was when he claimed that other people who he had worked with (Tavin Campbell) were more talented than Michael Jackson.

He hit an ultimate low however when he sat there giving interviews after Michael died literally mocking Michael Jackson, by saying Michael complained a lot, liked to claim ailments he did not have, dismissing Vitiligo, the lung/breathing issue, Lupus, the pain due to burns etc because according to Quincy all Michael had was a severe case of 'wanting to be white', saying "he wanted to be white... all you have to do is look at his children".

You must be the lowest kind of scum to even go on television an say all that about your DEAD FRIEND. He had no problems staring those same children in the eyes of few weeks later when they were at the handprint/footprint ceremony. You know I try hard not to be a shallow person, but for Quincy's old senile ass to even go there, despite having so called white children himself ..wth?!

How do you think Michael would have felt hearing him talk about his children and himself like that? I can guarantee that he would've never wanted anything to do with him anymore ever again. Yes it's true Michael didn't put him on the map, but without Michael Jackson this guy wouldn't have been half the man he is today. Michael however would have still been THE Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones didn't make him and most certainly won't break him.

I have listened to those raw demotapes and Quincy's input is minimal, he even got credits on tracks he had no involvement in (Billie Jean, DSTYGE, WNBSS, Beat It etc).

To hear he shares the same lawyer as Wade does not surprise me- given the sleaze bag he is, but I do wonder who sought out whom in this case.

If he is owed money than fine he should get paid as he is entitled to his money, but somehow I highly doubt this. Everything Quincy Jones says or does in regards to Michael Jackson is personal imo, as his bitterness and resentment towards him has been well documented over the last decade.

Btw, one of the reasons he had no involvement in BAD 25 is because Spike didnt pay anyone for their participation.

As far as I am concerned Quincy did more than just say "questionable things" toward Michael's children, his talent, and the child molestation accusations but I digress..
 
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respect77 said:
That Michael put him on the map is an exaggeration, but without doubt his albums with Michael are his most famous ones, so if he failed to mention Michael while mentioning all others he worked with is not too classy.
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The fact of the matter is that their partnership produced a great synergy. without MJ, Quincy would not have had the success he had with MJ. yes he had some credentials mostly from the world of Jazz. However, he was an average artist/producer. his success was modest and pales in comparison to the work he did with MJ.

MJ took him on board because he thought Quincy could understand his artistic vision. That's what made MJ so unique. he knew exactly what he wanted and was looking for a producer who understood him and allow him to express himself artistically.

That being said, no-one is trying to take away Quincy's achievements. but my point is that both had a very effective partnership. so claiming that he made MJ is a gross misrepresentation. MJ success was not down to one person alone. it was the result of a solid team work involving MJ, Quincy, Frank Dileo, Bruce Sweden, Rod Temperson and so many others.

in addition, Quincy never replicated the success he had with MJ with other artists. which proves my point above.

Therefore, I think his contribution to MJ success is completely overblown. And Part of the reason the media are so quick to grant every credit in a book to Quincy alone is because of their utter disdain for MJ. They despise him so profoundly that they are willing to strip him of all his credentials if it boils down to that.

And this lawyer representing Quincy in this case seems to be banking on that. he's hoping to create enough negative publicity to force the estate to settle yet for another extortion attempt. My advise to the estate: fight for your right.
 
passy001 said:
The fact of the matter is that their partnership produced a great synergy. without MJ, Quincy would not have had the success he had with MJ. yes he had some credentials mostly from the world of Jazz. However, he was an average artist/producer. his success was modest and pales in comparison to the work he did with MJ.

MJ took him on board because he thought Quincy could understand his artistic vision. That's what made MJ so unique. he knew exactly what he wanted and was looking for a producer who understood him and allow him to express himself artistically.

That being said, no-one is trying to take away Quincy's achievements. but my point is that both had a very effective partnership. so claiming that he made MJ is a gross misrepresentation. MJ success was not down to one person alone. it was the result of a solid team work involving MJ, Quincy, Frank Dileo, Bruce Sweden, Rod Temperson and so many others.

in addition, Quincy never replicated the success he had with MJ with other artists. which proves my point above.

Therefore, I think his contribution to MJ success is completely overblown. And Part of the reason the media are so quick to grant every credit in a book to Quincy alone is because of their utter disdain for MJ. They despise him so profoundly that they are willing to strip him of all his credentials if it boils down to that.

And this lawyer representing Quincy in this case seems to be banking on that. he's hoping to create enough negative publicity to force the estate to settle yet for another extortion attempt. My advise to the estate: fight for your right.
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You know you are getting a standing ovation from me right now, literally.
 
passy001 said:
That being said, no-one is trying to take away Quincy's achievements. but my point is that both had a very effective partnership. so claiming that he made MJ is a gross misrepresentation. MJ success was not down to one person alone. it was the result of a solid team work involving MJ, Quincy, Frank Dileo, Bruce Sweden, Rod Temperson and so many others.
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And who claimed that? It was exactly the other way around with someone claiming MJ put him on the map. Saying that is an exaggeration is not saying that Quincy made MJ. I never said that. I would not even agree with that statement.


Therefore, I think his contribution to MJ success is completely overblown. And Part of the reason the media are so quick to grant every credit in a book to Quincy alone is because of their utter disdain for MJ. They despise him so profoundly that they are willing to strip him of all his credentials if it boils down to that.
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I do agree with that. I get frustrated when people want to give all credit to Quincy (which often stems from ignorance - with people thinking Quincy wrote the music on Michael's albums etc.) and I agree the media built up that myth about MJ having everything to thank to Quincy because they have a deep disdain for Michael. I also think Quincy is a lot more well-connected in the media (he's got high profile journalists as his friends such as Oprah) which also helped to cement that myth. And he's also more well-connected in the industry. For example, after Michael parted ways with him in 1989 he made an album with various artists called Back on the Block. It was literally showered with Grammys, while Michael's Bad was so overlooked by the Grammy board two years ago. Now, I have that album and it's a good album, but definitely not as good as Bad. I have seen people say Bad sounds dated today but then they should listen to Back on the Block. Now, THAT album is dated! IMO showering it with seven Grammys (just one less than Thriller) was ridiculous and I suspect it was kind of a message by the industry about how it was all about Quincy and not Michael. They were wrong but yes, there was this jealousy of MJ not only in the media but also within the industry.

See? I don't think at all that Quincy made MJ so I don't even get why you said that. No other act Quincy produced was remotely as successful as Michael and that speaks for itself. If it was all Quincy like some of MJ's detractors claim how come he could not make an international superstar out of his other protegees like Tevin Campell and Tamia?

On the other hand I think Quincy was a great musician and produer and he helped Michael a lot. I give credit where it's due.

But this thread is not about the individual merits of MJ and Quincy, it's about a lawsuit he filed. I don't know if he's right or wrong - the court will decide that. I don't really care either way, it has nothing really to do with MJ since the lawsuit is about things that allegedly happened after his death. What I'm upset about is the fact he used Wade Robson's lawyer.
 
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respect77 said:
And who claimed that? It was exactly the other way around with someone claiming MJ put him on the map. Saying that is an exaggeration is not saying that Quincy made MJ. I never said that. I would not even agree with that statement.




I do agree with that. I get frustrated when people want to give all credit to Quincy (which often stems from ignorance - with people thinking Quincy wrote the music on Michael's albums etc.) and I agree the media built up that myth about MJ having everything to thank to Quincy because they have a deep disdain for Michael. I also think Quincy is a lot more well-connected in the media (he's got high profile journalists as his friends such as Oprah) which also helped to cement that myth. And he's also more well-connected in the industry. For example, after Michael parted ways with him in 1989 he made an album with various artists called Back on the Block. It was literally showered with Grammys, while Michael's Bad was so overlooked by the Grammy board two years ago. Now, I have that album and it's a good album, but definitely not as good as Bad. I have seen people say Bad sounds dated today but then they should listen to Back on the Block. Now, THAT album is dated! IMO showering it with seven Grammys (just one less than Thriller) was ridiculous and I suspect it was kind of a message by the industry about how it was all about Quincy and not Michael. They were wrong but yes, there was this jealousy of MJ not only in the media but also within the industry.

See? I don't think at all that Quincy made MJ so I don't even get why you said that. No other act Quincy produced was remotely as successful as Michael and that speaks for itself. If it was all Quincy like some of MJ's detractors claim how come he could not make an international superstar out of his other protegees like Tevin Campell and Tamia?

On the other hand I think Quincy was a great musician and produer and he helped Michael a lot. I give credit where it's due.

But this thread is not about the individual merits of MJ and Quincy, it's about a lawsuit he filed. I don't know if he's right or wrong - the court will decide that. I don't really care either way, it has nothing really to do with MJ since the lawsuit is about things that allegedly happened after his death. What I'm upset about is the fact he used Wade Robson's lawyer.
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Very good essay.

I was speaking generally when saying "claiming that he made MJ is a gross misrepresentation".
 
The Telegraph

Quincy Jones, the music producer who worked with Michael Jackson on many of his greatest hits, is suing the estate of the late singer for at least $10 million (£6.2 million) in royalties and production fees.
In his lawsuit, Jones claims that the superstar’s estate and Sony Music Entertainment deprived him of his cut by re-editing blockbuster numbers such as Billie Jean, Thriller and Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough for use after Jackson’s death.
The 80-year-old music industry veteran produced three of Jackson’s most famous albums - Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. Thriller is the most successful album in history, with 110 million sales, and the three albums together sold an estimated 175 million copies.
His lawyers are now claiming that he should receive a producer’s credit and fees for the use of Jackson’s music in the film This Is It and two lucrative shows by the Cirque du Soleil acrobatic troupe based on the star’s songs.
The Jackson estate said in a family that it was “saddened” by the move by Jones, who last worked in a studio with the star in 1987.


“To the best of its knowledge, Mr Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael,” it said. Sony Music has yet to comment.
In the lawsuit filed on Friday, Jones argued that his contracts as Jackson’s producer gave him the first opportunity to re-edit or alter the songs on which they worked together,
The suit requested details of the estate’s earnings from the works so that Jones can determine how much he is owed.
The posthumous profitability of the Jackson brand was confirmed last week when he came top of a newly-compiled list of highest-earning dead celebrities.
The estate of the King of Pop raked in $160 million (£99 million) from beyond the grave for the previous year, according to Forbes magazine.
Four years after his death, he earned more than any living star, comfortably surpassing the $125 million that was brought in by Madonna. The success of the Cirque du Soleil shows - Immortality and One - is a major contributor to his afterlife income.
After Jackson’s death in June 2009, Jones said: “Divinity brought our souls together... He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
His lawsuit is the latest legal case to embroil Jackson in death. Earlier this month, his family lost its bid to obtain more than $1 billion in damages from AEG Live, the promoters of the concert tour for which the star was rehearsing when he died, aged 50
 
Mr Jones has been on my sh*t list for many years, this just adds to it. Having said that, if his claims are legit, then by all means give him the damn money. Nevertheless, the timing is strange. What happened? Did he just wake up a few days ago and thought: "Oooh, wait a minute, I'm sure there was something I forgot... of course! MJ owes me money from 2009!" How is it possible that he only remembered all of this now when MJ has been named the top earning celebrity by Forbes? And why is he using the same slime ball lawyer as WR?
 
At first when I saw the lawyers' name, I said to myself that it sounded familiar and then realized where I saw this name before. People like Q have lawyers that they could use at any time, so how did he end up with this guy?

Respect I agree with you that the lawyer is trying to get a look at the books to help the Wade case as well. In fact, any information he gets while working on this case will be used to help the Wade case.

You know for years people talked about how Michael was always in court as though Michael was doing something bad to cause this. Now that the lawsuits are continuing against his estate, I hope people now see what was behind a lot of the cases filed against Michael.
 
respect77 said:
That Michael put him on the map is an exaggeration, but without doubt his albums with Michael are his most famous ones, so if he failed to mention Michael while mentioning all others he worked with is not too classy.

I don't think though that this lawsuit is something personal to Quincy. He did not claim anything bad about Michael, any problem he's got is with MJ's Estate (and things they allegedly did after MJ's death) and not Michael personally. In fact, Quincy tweeted "Happy Birthday Smelly" last August and just a couple of days ago he retweeted that Ohio Marching Band tribute to MJ. So he does not seem to "hate" Michael. I know he said some questionable and rude things in the past (esp. regarding Michael's skin and children, and trying to downplay his talent), but I don't think this one is meant as a personal attack. It's strictly business.

The only thing I'm disturbed about is his connection with Wade Robson's lawyer. If it was with some other lawyer I would not even care about this issue much - let the Court/Judge decide if he's right or wrong. No biggie. But on that lawyer's part it does look shady and with ulterior motives. I can easily imagine though that Quincy is clueless about that connection. Or even about WR's allegations at all, because if you don't hang on MJ forums or on gossip websites such as TMZ you could easily miss those news. It wasn't that widely publicized.
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I'm sure by now Quincy must know that he's retained the same lawyer as Wade Robson has. Fans have surely sent him Tweets, etc. He knows now. Time will tell if Quincy gets a new attorney to represent him or not. It seems like a conflict of interest to me for the same attorney to be used on these two cases.

Or maybe Gradstein and his firm need to remove themselves from the Wade case, because it's not right.

But it's obvious as can be that this is a money grab. News comes out about the estate making all this money, and here they come whining about not getting paid! It also seems like a very sneaky, backhanded way to snoop into finances.
 
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This statement from Quincy's attorney says it all:

“Quincy has been frustrated with these matters for a number of years, felt he was not making any progress and needed to take more formal action," says Henry Gradstein, his attorney.
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If he's been frustrated for so long, why didn't he take action before? This needs answered. Either Gradstein approached him (which is likely) or Quincy has been keeping up on the increasing value of the estate and wants more of the $$$$ (which is also likely).
 
cmstrike said:
The only thing Quincy is owed is a swift kick in the ass.
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Quincy is still butthurt after all these years because Michael moved on. I don't think he's ever gotten over it and in his own little mind he believes he's the reason Michael became a megastar and he's still owed for it.
 
and me. spot on. thats what its always been about. the media have done whatever it takes to downplay mjs success

twinklEE said:
You know you are getting a standing ovation from me right now, literally.
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"His lawyers are now claiming that he should receive a producer’s credit and fees for the use of Jackson’s music in the film This Is It and two lucrative shows by the Cirque du Soleil acrobatic troupe based on the star’s songs."

Well, that does make it recent if it's about the projects since 2009. He may very well have grounds for the suit so, I don't have a problem with that per se and it's not odd this firm would represent Quincy in such a case. What is curious to me is the representation of Wade, as others have mentioned. I don't know if Q has a history with this firm/attorney but I know I'd have to find another firm once I learned of that lawsuit (shakedown) and the comments made by Gradstein. Q has said some crazy things about MJ's vitligo but he can't possibly be on board with this BS:

"Michael Jackson was a monster, and in their hearts every normal person knows it." -- Gradstein
 
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respect77 said:
That Michael put him on the map is an exaggeration, but without doubt his albums with Michael are his most famous ones, so if he failed to mention Michael while mentioning all others he worked with is not too classy.
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Certainly to a younger generation, and the general public en masse, Quincy's fame is largely connected with Thriller.

I always found it odd he wasn't in that awful Spike Lee documentary. Perhaps the Estate have been shutting him out?
 
ChrisC said:
I always found it odd he wasn't in that awful Spike Lee documentary. Perhaps the Estate have been shutting him out?
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Rumour has it he asked for money to be in it. Don't know if it's true though.
 
I don't understand why he is doing this now. He says he is has been frustrated for years or something. Was he brainwashed too?

I don't know how these royalties work but he has been making money off of the music he did with Michael for years and years. This whole things seems odd and did he ever talk to the executors or someone about it first. Why does everyone have to sue all the time?

I also think the estate should object to who his lawyer is. I don't think he should be allowed to do this and with Wade. It is suspicious if his specialty is royalties and so on and he is taking on a child abuse type case.
 
ChrisC said:
I always found it odd he wasn't in that awful Spike Lee documentary. Perhaps the Estate have been shutting him out?
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You thought it was awful? Wowww...
You seem to hate everything.
 
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