Years after the tragic death of Michael Jackson, it seems as though the drama and deceit have not weaned.
Now, an appeals court has just reversed a 2017 decision which entitled producer Quincy Jones to over $9 million in royalties.
The decision to award royalties for a multitude of Michael Jackson hits to producer Quincy Jones has been reversed.
Quincy Jones is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer, with an impressive and expansive career spanning over sixty years in the entertainment industry. This time in the industry, of course, led him to meet and work with some pretty incredible talents, including the enigma that was Michael Jackson.
In 2017, it was decided that Jones would be awarded $9.4 million in a trial against Jackson’s estate over a number of “unreceived royalties” including Jones’ work on iconic works such as Thriller, Bad, Off the Wall, and the This Is It soundtrack, as well as two Cirque du Soleil shows. This also gave Jones the right to remix these works.
So why has the court’s decision been reversed? The Californian appeals court stated that the judge who managed the original case did not interpret relevant contracts properly. The new ruling will invalidate $6.9 million of Jones’ original award. This is good news for any stakeholders in Michale Jackson’s estate and MJJ Productions, who believed the original verdict was unjust.
While the news probably doesn’t sound too good to old Quincy, what’s one less finger in a pie? While there has been no word from Quincy Jones, his lawyers or representatives as of yet, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.
As for the estate of Michael Jackson and MJJ Productions, there’s probably plenty of drama still yet to come, and we’ll be keeping our eyes and ears peeled.
