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Sony scouring Michael Jackson catalogue for future hits
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 31 August 2018
Now free of any accusations that they faked vocals on some posthumous Michael Jackson tracks (legal accusations, anyway), Sony Music and the Michael Jackson estate are scouring the late singer’s archives for more recordings to put out. Although not in order to put together more albums of the kind that drew those “it’s a fake!” criticisms.
“We’re constantly scouring the catalogue for ideas, but there are no plans at the moment to put any more full-fledged albums out”, Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer tells the LA Times, in a new article about Jackson’s legacy.
“We are looking at one-off songs” he explains. “In this streaming world, that works because it’s a track-based world. There are a few gems out there that we may unearth individually over the next months and years, but we’re also very, very careful to make sure the fanbase doesn’t feel like they’ve been asked yet again to buy material they have. We are very careful about repacking and extremely cognisant of the fanbase that has everything”.
Well we’re all cognisant, aren’t we? I’m cognisant that not all artists have managed to bridge the gaps between physical, downloads and streams, for example. “What’s interesting with Michael”, Stringer ponders on, “is that not all artists have managed to bridge the gaps from the physical world to the iTunes world to the streaming world, but with Michael that’s not the case”.
“His streaming numbers are incredible”, we’re told. “The technology at the moment enables us to do something different and highlight different songs and create concepts that will lead people to a greater understanding of the wider catalogue of Michael’s work”.
Showing just how much care they’re taking with Jackson’s oeuvre, Sony’s latest release celebrating the king of pop is a five minute megamix of classic tracks quickly knocked together by Mark Ronson. Titled ‘Diamonds Are Invincible’, it was put out to mark what would have been Jackson’s 60th (aka diamond) birthday earlier this week.
