Michael Jackson’s estate renews deal with Sony
The Michael Jackson Estate has decided to re-up its deal with Sony/ATV to administer the music publishing rights to some of the King of Pop’s best-known songs, the publisher confirmed on Thursday.
Sony/ATV, run by Martin Bandier, won the rights to the Mijac Music catalogue in 2012 from Warner/Chappelle, which had held them since 1980.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed to be a long-term arrangement.
That deal expired recently, and the Mijac catalogue came up for bidding.
In a recent auction all the major music publishers — from Universal to BMG — made an attempt to acquire the rights, sources said, but Sony/ATV ultimately prevailed.
The collection includes “Bad,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean,” among many others by the late singer/songwriter.
Sony/ATV was owned jointly by Japan’s Sony Corp. and the estate of Michael Jackson but did not house all of the Jackson song rights.
Sony bought out the Jackson estate last year for $750 million, giving the estate a rethink about where best to house the music.
John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of the Estate, said in a statement: “The music of the greatest entertainer that ever lived, Michael Jackson, is in the hands of the number one publishing company in the world.
“We had to beat off every competitor,” Bandier told The Post.