Forget the whole “rest in peace” thing. That was never really an option for Michael Jackson, especially once Sony paid his estate $200 million for a guaranteed contract that awarded them the rights to 10 projects over the next seven years. The theft of Jackson’s back catalog apparently happened last April when Sony’s PlayStation Network was hacked, compromising the data of 77 million users. It’s only today via the BBC that Sony has confirmed the stolen property included Jackson’s unheard material.
The hackers are said to have copies of unreleased studio material from Jackson’s classic albums Thriller, Off the Wall, and Bad, and possibly more songs from other Sony artists, like Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas, and Jimi Hendrix. Sony has since “plugged the gap.” Hit The Guardian for further detail regarding the whole mess.
• Michael Jackson: http://www.michaeljackson.com