At the time of his death last June, Michael Jackson was reportedly deeply in debt and had agreed to sign on for an unprecedented 50-date run at the O2 arena in London, as a means of turning his financial fortunes around.
But thanks to a flurry of merchandising deals and a flood of nostalgia-fueled Musica sales, his estate has generated nearly $1 billion in the past year,Billboard reports via Reuters.
Billboard broke down the fonte of that windfall, determining that nearly half of it came from the robust Musica sales following the singer's shock death on June 25, 2009. Jackson has sold 9 million albums in the U.S. and 24 million around the globe since his death, along with around 800,000 copies of albums da the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons. Assuming a worldwide retail sales price of $11.62 per unit, the magazine estimated that the Jackson catalog brought in about $383 million in sales.
Add in 12.9 million track downloads in the U.S. over the past year, along with 26.5 million in international downloads, and te have another $34 million. Then there's about 1.5 million in ringtone sales in America, another 3 million globally for another $5 million, as well as $2 million from digital performance royalties from Musica subscription services and $4.5 million from global digital performances for a Musica total of $429 million.
The secondo biggest fonte of revenue was TV and movie projects, led da the "Michael Jackson: This Is It" documentary about the singer's final rehearsals for his planned Londra shows. Sony Pictures paid $60 million for the rights to the film, which earned $72 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing concerto film ever. It earned an additional $188 million overseas, while the DVD of the film raked in $43 million in the U.S., as well as $24 million in rental income. It earned $18 million just in Giappone on the first giorno of release and another $7 million in Blu-Ray sales.
Billboard also speculated that the sales of the TV rights to "This Is It" to Viacom (the parent company of MTV) may have generated an additional $15 million, and licensing fees for nontheatrical performances (airplanes, cruise ships, hotels) could bring in around $24 million.
One of Jackson's traditional cash cows, his Musica publishing rights, was another lucrative fonte of income, taking in nearly $130 million. The singer's Mijac publishing company — with an estimated value of $75 million in 2005 — has a current value of around $150 million, generating around $25 million a anno in revenue, with that number possibly doubling to $50 million in the past year. Jackson's half ownership of the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog could be worth as much as an additional $80 million a year.
The executors of Jackson's estate have cut a series of deals over the past year, resulting in around $35 million in additional revenue. Because many fan declined to return their tickets to the Londra This Is It shows, preferring to retain them as keepsakes, those tickets were worth $6.5 million, along with around $5 million in concerto merchandise sales; a secondo deal with merchandise maker Bravado cut in August reportedly included a $10 million advance. A Jackson memorabilia exhibit in Giappone has earned $3.5 million. And additional licensing royalties and retail sales could have rolled up $10 million o più for the estate.
It is not known how much game-maker Ubisoft paid to license Jackson's image for an upcoming video game o what potential revenues could be from a pair of upcoming Jackson-themed Cirque du Soleil shows.
Finally, even in death Jackson has one of the most lucrative recording contracts around. Sony Musica Entertainment cut a deal in March with the estate to release 10 Jackson albums through 2017. From a collection of previously unreleased Jackson songs due in November to reissues of such landmark albums as 1979's solo debut, Off the Wall, the estate is guaranteed between $200 and $250 million for the Sony pact. Though none of the albums have been released yet, if just one of the contract's eight years comes off as planned, it could add $31 million to the estate's coffers.
Celebrate Michael Jackson's legacy all week long as MTV News looks back at his life, his Musica and the death that shook the world one anno ago.
But thanks to a flurry of merchandising deals and a flood of nostalgia-fueled Musica sales, his estate has generated nearly $1 billion in the past year,Billboard reports via Reuters.
Billboard broke down the fonte of that windfall, determining that nearly half of it came from the robust Musica sales following the singer's shock death on June 25, 2009. Jackson has sold 9 million albums in the U.S. and 24 million around the globe since his death, along with around 800,000 copies of albums da the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons. Assuming a worldwide retail sales price of $11.62 per unit, the magazine estimated that the Jackson catalog brought in about $383 million in sales.
Add in 12.9 million track downloads in the U.S. over the past year, along with 26.5 million in international downloads, and te have another $34 million. Then there's about 1.5 million in ringtone sales in America, another 3 million globally for another $5 million, as well as $2 million from digital performance royalties from Musica subscription services and $4.5 million from global digital performances for a Musica total of $429 million.
The secondo biggest fonte of revenue was TV and movie projects, led da the "Michael Jackson: This Is It" documentary about the singer's final rehearsals for his planned Londra shows. Sony Pictures paid $60 million for the rights to the film, which earned $72 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing concerto film ever. It earned an additional $188 million overseas, while the DVD of the film raked in $43 million in the U.S., as well as $24 million in rental income. It earned $18 million just in Giappone on the first giorno of release and another $7 million in Blu-Ray sales.
Billboard also speculated that the sales of the TV rights to "This Is It" to Viacom (the parent company of MTV) may have generated an additional $15 million, and licensing fees for nontheatrical performances (airplanes, cruise ships, hotels) could bring in around $24 million.
One of Jackson's traditional cash cows, his Musica publishing rights, was another lucrative fonte of income, taking in nearly $130 million. The singer's Mijac publishing company — with an estimated value of $75 million in 2005 — has a current value of around $150 million, generating around $25 million a anno in revenue, with that number possibly doubling to $50 million in the past year. Jackson's half ownership of the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog could be worth as much as an additional $80 million a year.
The executors of Jackson's estate have cut a series of deals over the past year, resulting in around $35 million in additional revenue. Because many fan declined to return their tickets to the Londra This Is It shows, preferring to retain them as keepsakes, those tickets were worth $6.5 million, along with around $5 million in concerto merchandise sales; a secondo deal with merchandise maker Bravado cut in August reportedly included a $10 million advance. A Jackson memorabilia exhibit in Giappone has earned $3.5 million. And additional licensing royalties and retail sales could have rolled up $10 million o più for the estate.
It is not known how much game-maker Ubisoft paid to license Jackson's image for an upcoming video game o what potential revenues could be from a pair of upcoming Jackson-themed Cirque du Soleil shows.
Finally, even in death Jackson has one of the most lucrative recording contracts around. Sony Musica Entertainment cut a deal in March with the estate to release 10 Jackson albums through 2017. From a collection of previously unreleased Jackson songs due in November to reissues of such landmark albums as 1979's solo debut, Off the Wall, the estate is guaranteed between $200 and $250 million for the Sony pact. Though none of the albums have been released yet, if just one of the contract's eight years comes off as planned, it could add $31 million to the estate's coffers.
Celebrate Michael Jackson's legacy all week long as MTV News looks back at his life, his Musica and the death that shook the world one anno ago.
There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can't go on pretending giorno da day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, te know,
Amore is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just te and me
Send them your cuore so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us da turning stones to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand
When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if te just believe there's no way we can fall
Let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can't go on pretending giorno da day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, te know,
Amore is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just te and me
Send them your cuore so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us da turning stones to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand
When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if te just believe there's no way we can fall
Let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one
Sadness had been
Close as my successivo of kin
Then happy came one giorno
Chased my blues away
My life began when happy smiled
Sweet like caramelle to a child
Stay here and Amore me just a while
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be where sadness was
Happy, that's te
te made my life brand new
Lost as a little agnello was I
Till te came in
My life began when happy smiled
Sweet like caramelle to a child
Stay here and Amore me just a while
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be there where sadness was
(Till now)
Where have I been
What lifetime was I in
Suspended between time and spazio
Lonely until happy came smiling up at me
Sadness had no choice but to flee
I detto a prayer so silently
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be where sadness was
Till now
Happy
Yeah, yeah, happy
Close as my successivo of kin
Then happy came one giorno
Chased my blues away
My life began when happy smiled
Sweet like caramelle to a child
Stay here and Amore me just a while
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be where sadness was
Happy, that's te
te made my life brand new
Lost as a little agnello was I
Till te came in
My life began when happy smiled
Sweet like caramelle to a child
Stay here and Amore me just a while
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be there where sadness was
(Till now)
Where have I been
What lifetime was I in
Suspended between time and spazio
Lonely until happy came smiling up at me
Sadness had no choice but to flee
I detto a prayer so silently
Let sadness see what happy does
Let happy be where sadness was
Till now
Happy
Yeah, yeah, happy
Girlfriend
I'm gonna tell your boyfriend (yeah)
Tell him (woo hoo)
Exactly what we're doin' (yeah)
Tell him what te do to me
Late at night when the wind is free
Girlfriend
I'm gonna mostra your boyfriend (yeah)
mostra him (woo hoo)
The letters I've been savin' (yeah)
mostra him how te feel inside
An' how Amore could not be denied (oh no)
We're gonna have to tell him
You'll only be a girlfriend of mine
Do-doot-do, etc.
Girlfriend
te better tell your boyfriend (yeah)
Tell him (woo hoo)
Exactly what we're doin' (yeah)
Tell him what he needs to know
o he may never let te go
Yeah we're gonna have to tell him
You'll only be a girlfriend of mine
Do-doot-do ...... ad lib to fade
I'm gonna tell your boyfriend (yeah)
Tell him (woo hoo)
Exactly what we're doin' (yeah)
Tell him what te do to me
Late at night when the wind is free
Girlfriend
I'm gonna mostra your boyfriend (yeah)
mostra him (woo hoo)
The letters I've been savin' (yeah)
mostra him how te feel inside
An' how Amore could not be denied (oh no)
We're gonna have to tell him
You'll only be a girlfriend of mine
Do-doot-do, etc.
Girlfriend
te better tell your boyfriend (yeah)
Tell him (woo hoo)
Exactly what we're doin' (yeah)
Tell him what he needs to know
o he may never let te go
Yeah we're gonna have to tell him
You'll only be a girlfriend of mine
Do-doot-do ...... ad lib to fade
All te gotta do is just walk away and pass me da
Don't acknowledge my smile when I try to say hello to you, yeah
And all te gotta do is not answer my calls when
I'm trying to get through
To keep me wondering why, when all I can do is sigh
I just wanna touch te
Chorus
I just wanna touch and baciare
And I wish that I could be with te tonight
te give me farfalle inside, inside and I
All I gotta say is that I must be dreaming, can't be real
You're not here with me, still I can feel te near me
I caress you, let te taste us, just so blissful listen
I would give te anything baby, just make my dreams come true
Oh baby te give me farfalle
Chorus x 2
If te would take my hand, baby I would mostra te
Guide te to the light babe
If te would be my love, baby I will Amore you, Amore te
'Till the end of time
Chorus x 3
Don't acknowledge my smile when I try to say hello to you, yeah
And all te gotta do is not answer my calls when
I'm trying to get through
To keep me wondering why, when all I can do is sigh
I just wanna touch te
Chorus
I just wanna touch and baciare
And I wish that I could be with te tonight
te give me farfalle inside, inside and I
All I gotta say is that I must be dreaming, can't be real
You're not here with me, still I can feel te near me
I caress you, let te taste us, just so blissful listen
I would give te anything baby, just make my dreams come true
Oh baby te give me farfalle
Chorus x 2
If te would take my hand, baby I would mostra te
Guide te to the light babe
If te would be my love, baby I will Amore you, Amore te
'Till the end of time
Chorus x 3