The Jackson family have leaped to the defence of brother Michael in an official statement yesterday. Read by Jermaine Jackson, the statement criticised the industry people and performers who have defended Sony boss Tommy Mottola, who Michael called a racist, and reprimanded US comics who have been having a Jacko field day of late.
"Industry types, such as Russell Simmons and Ricky Martin,” the statement said, “are uninformed and should wait to hear the facts before making derisive statements about Michael. Comedians Dennis Miller and Robin Williams and others who bad-mouth and make comedic references to the scandalous allegations that he faced several years ago need to be reminded that not only was Michael not convicted of any crime, he was never charged nor was he ever indicted. Any statements to the contrary are libellous and subject to legal action."
Ricky Martin, a Sony artist, told the New York Post last weekend that he didn't think Jackson's accusation that Mottola is a racist had any foundation, though of Jackson he simply said, "I've met Michael a few times, and I wish him the best. But I had no idea why he said that."
Def Jam founder Russell Simmons, meanwhile, questioned Jackson’s accusations that ‘Invincible’ was not as successful as previous Jacko albums because of band marketing on Sony’s part. "There are two things I know," he told the Post. "Tommy Mottola is not a racist, and in black music, especially, you don't need $30 million to make an album successful. If it's a hit record, it'll stick on its own."
The Jackson family accuse Sony of inflating the figures it spent making and promoting ‘Invincible’ (the labels claims $55 million in total). Sony has made no response to the family's statement. Their only comment on the whole Jackson Sony feud to date was to say: "Sony Music spared no expense in creating and executing a series of global marketing, promotion and publicity campaigns in support of the album. We are proud of what we have accomplished with Invincible."