FAQ

Leoben

This page has been created to provide answers to commonly asked questions received by the Estate through the Michael Jackson Online Team. The page will be updated occasionally with additional questions and answers.

Why doesn’t the Estate release more projects?
Given how much has been done since Michael’s tragic and untimely passing, it should not be a surprise that there is a natural slowing and spreading out of major releases as the Estate focuses more selectively on projects to enhance Michael’s legacy long term. While we appreciate that the fans always want more releases, it is important to keep in mind all that has been created and released to date and are upcoming, including Michael Jackson ONE which continues to thrill audiences in Las Vegas and MJ the Musical which debuted on Broadway in 2022, and has added a national touring company in the US, and international companies on the West End in London, England,  in Hamburg, Germany and in Australia, with touring companies in Asia and the UK already announced. And 2026 will see the release of the Michael Jackson biopic film. Please click here for a timeline of significant Michael Jackson projects since 2009.

Why doesn’t the Estate release all the songs that the fans have leaked? And why doesn’t the Estate just release everything in the vault?
Eventually the Estate hopes more music will be released but there is nothing in the vaults that is finished and ready for release. As has been stated previously, the Estate won’t release everything in the vaults based on the choices Michael himself made during his life and that includes songs that fans have found and leaked.

There are appropriate uses for demos, such as including them on anniversary album releases, most recently done with the Thriller 40 anniversary album, which were varied in terms of completion. But if we released demos by themselves, they would not show Michael in his best light or be representative of the quality of Michael’s recordings, and would not be commercially successful because they are, by definition, unfinished. While releasing unfinished work may be appreciated by the fans, it would not be the way to introduce Michael to new fans who should hear Michael at his best. That is certainly how Michael decided what to release and we believe that is what he would want us to do. And even among the fans, we see disagreement on whether unreleased material should be finished to make them commercially viable or not.

Michael had several philosophies that we use as guides. One of those is, “The quality goes in before the name goes on.” Just because something exists doesn’t mean it should be made public – and sharing with the fans is the same as making it public.

Just because something has been leaked by a fan doesn’t mean that it is something which should have an official release. The fact that it is leaked means that Michael didn’t intend for it to be shared by whomever he may have trusted with it in the first place.

Will the Estate upgrade Michael’s short films to 4k?
In 2022, “Beat It” and “Michael Jackson’s Thriller” were converted to 4K to coincide with the “Thriller” album’s 40th anniversary.  This was possible because there were 35mm masters from which to work.  It is not the case for most of the short films that we have such masters and, in these cases, the process can be more expensive and require more work (and time). In some cases, it may not even be possible if all we have is a poor-quality later generation master tape and no original source materials are located. Unfortunately, that was the case with respect to “Billie Jean” though there is still hope that technology will one day advance to a point that will allow this iconic short film to be upscaled.  

In the meantime, the Estate has every intention of continuing to upscale Michael’s short films wherever possible. The Estate did, for example, upscale the three short films associated with the “Off The Wall” album which, although not able to be converted to 4K, were upscaled to create a better viewing experience for the fans using available technology and the Estate has most recently done this for the short films from the Dangerous album for which there were also no 35mm film masters.  The Estate is continuing to work with Sony Music on upgrades to other short films.

Why didn’t the Estate keep Neverland?
Neverland was managed and controlled by Colony Capital, not by the Estate. This is based on a contract Michael signed in 2008. The Estate did explore with Colony Capital a number of potential options for Neverland, including donating it to the State of California to be preserved for historical purposes and special events, but none proved feasible and ultimately Colony decided to sell the property.

Is there going to be a permanent Michael Jackson Museum?
We do hope that there will be a Michael Jackson Museum. We have and will continue to explore that possibility. We are also researching the possibility that the Hayvenhurst property could be opened for limited public tours and we are optimistic about this possibility. While this is not imminent, it is something we would like to accomplish.

Do you ever read fan critiques of the Estate’s projects? How do you feel about the fans’ commenting on the Estate projects?
We love and appreciate the passion of Michael’s fans. We know how privileged we are to have known and have worked with Michael and we take seriously the trust he put in us to manage his assets and his legacy. We also know how fortunate we are that, with the King of Pop, “the greatest entertainer that ever lived”, comes an enormous, diverse and passionate fan community with varying and sometimes conflicting views about everything related to Michael. And that naturally includes the projects undertaken by the Estate. We therefore welcome the fans’ comments and great support as, even when there is criticism, it demonstrates a shared passion and love for Michael.

The critiques we do receive remind us that we can’t please everyone all the time. We too are Michael fans and we do our best to create projects which we would like to see and hear. The purpose of creating these projects is to enhance Michael’s legacy, to please and excite wherever possible the existing fans, and to introduce Michael to new generations of fans.

Why doesn’t the Estate do more to fight disinformation about Michael Jackson?
Disinformation about Michael Jackson takes many forms including social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and many other platforms. Sometimes reprehensible and completely unfounded YouTube videos try to mislead viewers into considering them as factual documentaries. This bothers us every bit as much as it bothers the fans. The one thing that can be said is that no music under our control should be heard in these posts and with content ID technology and copyright takedowns we aim to have as many of them removed as possible. As far as projects that are in production outside of the digital media world, we make a serious analysis with the help of our litigators to determine whether we have the legal grounds to stop a particular project. If we do, we act. But in many cases, we do not. And to make an unsuccessful effort to stop projects would only bring more attention to these awful and, in many cases, vile projects.

What is being done to stop song and video creations that use AI versions of Michael’s voice and likeness?
Obviously Generative AI tools which allow users to create new photos, videos, and music are accessible to all now and the floodgates have been open for those who know how to use the tools. When we find such content, we will take available legal steps to address the unauthorized content.

Are Michael Jackson’s sales certifications are up to date?
Sony Music is responsible for the certification of the sales of Michael Jackson’s records and singles with the various industry trade bodies, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and they continue to review sales information and report to these organizations on a regular basis when a new certification level has been attained.