The bright memory of Michael Jackson hasn't dimmed a watt in the year since his death. Neither, it seems, has his earning power.
In the 12 months since his demise last June 25, the octopus-like arms of Jackson's media empire have generated deals we estimate to be worth an "are-you-sitting-down" figure of $756 million.
It's a gargantuan haul, certainly large enough to plop Jackson on top of Forbes Magazine's ghoulish annual list of "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities." (This year's list comes out in October).
Jackson already made last year's list -- at No. 3, behind winner Yves Saint-Laurent (with $350 million) and Rogers & Hammerstein (at $235 million), and just ahead of Elvis ($55 mil). Jackson earned his place with a take of $90 million, a not-too-shabby sum considering it measured just the three months following his untimely demise.
It's important to note that our jaw-loosening estimate for Jackson's one-year haul doesn't involve all the money his work and image have generated in that time. Here's what it does include:
1. CD sales
2. The movie "This Is It"
3. The subsequent appearance of "This Is It" on DVD and Blue-ray
4. A new Sony deal that funnels money to the estate for years' worth of future releases and projects
5. Key parts of his publishing
The last mentioned piece of the puzzle includes moolah fueled by Jackson's 50% stake in the Sony/ATV catalogue, which has the publishing rights to songs by everyone from the Beatles to Taylor Swift. That catalogue is believed to generate up to $80 million a year, half of which goes to Jackson, according to USA Today.
In addition, Jackson owns most of Mijac Publishing, which controls his own recordings. Though the L.A. Times reports the company has a value of $75 million, it's not known what yearly profits those rights have thrown off during this moment of intensified interest. However, Billboard's publishing expert Glenn Peoples says those figures could add "tens of millions of dollars" to our tally.
Neither does the $756 million figure involve the sums which billow in from merchandising, a source which remains the largest income spigot for many departed celebrities. Those figures didn't make the cut because they can't be clearly defined. Rest assured, however, that in Jackson's case they're gynormous, especially since superstars commonly command between 70% and 90% of profits from merchandising.
At the same time, our kingly estimate for Jackson's earnings takes into account the total gross generated by the aforementioned aspects of his work. Meaning we're talking about money created for all interested parties, not just his own estate, which gets just a cut of each deal. More, Jackson's estate has to square away his oft-reported debt, which has been estimated to be as large as $500 million. Still, measuring the sums that can be known makes an undeniable point - that Jackson remains an earnings colossus.
and for the record i had my red jacket with the zippers and the shinny glove when i was a kid...
thanx Daileynews.com
LOVE LIVE THE KING OF POP...Michael Jackson
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