At the time of his death last June, Michael Jackson was reportedly deeply in debt and had agreed to sign on for an unprecedented 50-date run at the O2 arena in London, as a means of turning his financial fortunes around.
But thanks to a flurry of merchandising deals and a flood of nostalgia-fueled 音乐 sales, his estate has generated nearly $1 billion in the past year,Billboard reports via Reuters.
Billboard broke down the 来源 of that windfall, determining that nearly half of it came from the robust 音乐 sales following the singer's shock death on June 25, 2009. Jackson has sold 9 million albums in the U.S. and 24 million around the globe since his death, along with around 800,000 copies of albums 由 the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons. Assuming a worldwide retail sales price of $11.62 per unit, the magazine estimated that the Jackson catalog brought in about $383 million in sales.
Add in 12.9 million track downloads in the U.S. over the past year, along with 26.5 million in international downloads, and 你 have another $34 million. Then there's about 1.5 million in ringtone sales in America, another 3 million globally for another $5 million, as well as $2 million from digital performance royalties from 音乐 subscription services and $4.5 million from global digital performances for a 音乐 total of $429 million.
The 秒 biggest 来源 of revenue was TV and movie projects, led 由 the "Michael Jackson: This Is It" documentary about the singer's final rehearsals for his planned 伦敦 shows. Sony Pictures paid $60 million for the rights to the film, which earned $72 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing 音乐会 film ever. It earned an additional $188 million overseas, while the DVD of the film raked in $43 million in the U.S., as well as $24 million in rental income. It earned $18 million just in 日本 on the first 日 of release and another $7 million in Blu-Ray sales.
Billboard also speculated that the sales of the TV rights to "This Is It" to Viacom (the parent company of MTV) may have generated an additional $15 million, and licensing fees for nontheatrical performances (airplanes, cruise ships, hotels) could bring in around $24 million.
One of Jackson's traditional cash cows, his 音乐 publishing rights, was another lucrative 来源 of income, taking in nearly $130 million. The singer's Mijac publishing company — with an estimated value of $75 million in 2005 — has a current value of around $150 million, generating around $25 million a 年 in revenue, with that number possibly doubling to $50 million in the past year. Jackson's half ownership of the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog could be worth as much as an additional $80 million a year.
The executors of Jackson's estate have cut a series of deals over the past year, resulting in around $35 million in additional revenue. Because many 粉丝 declined to return their tickets to the 伦敦 This Is It shows, preferring to retain them as keepsakes, those tickets were worth $6.5 million, along with around $5 million in 音乐会 merchandise sales; a 秒 deal with merchandise maker Bravado cut in August reportedly included a $10 million advance. A Jackson memorabilia exhibit in 日本 has earned $3.5 million. And additional licensing royalties and retail sales could have rolled up $10 million 或者 更多 for the estate.
It is not known how much game-maker Ubisoft paid to license Jackson's image for an upcoming video game 或者 what potential revenues could be from a pair of upcoming Jackson-themed Cirque du Soleil shows.
Finally, even in death Jackson has one of the most lucrative recording contracts around. Sony 音乐 Entertainment cut a deal in March with the estate to release 10 Jackson albums through 2017. From a collection of previously unreleased Jackson songs due in November to reissues of such landmark albums as 1979's solo debut, Off the Wall, the estate is guaranteed between $200 and $250 million for the Sony pact. Though none of the albums have been released yet, if just one of the contract's eight years comes off as planned, it could add $31 million to the estate's coffers.
Celebrate Michael Jackson's legacy all week long as 音乐电视 News looks back at his life, his 音乐 and the death that shook the world one 年 ago.
But thanks to a flurry of merchandising deals and a flood of nostalgia-fueled 音乐 sales, his estate has generated nearly $1 billion in the past year,Billboard reports via Reuters.
Billboard broke down the 来源 of that windfall, determining that nearly half of it came from the robust 音乐 sales following the singer's shock death on June 25, 2009. Jackson has sold 9 million albums in the U.S. and 24 million around the globe since his death, along with around 800,000 copies of albums 由 the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons. Assuming a worldwide retail sales price of $11.62 per unit, the magazine estimated that the Jackson catalog brought in about $383 million in sales.
Add in 12.9 million track downloads in the U.S. over the past year, along with 26.5 million in international downloads, and 你 have another $34 million. Then there's about 1.5 million in ringtone sales in America, another 3 million globally for another $5 million, as well as $2 million from digital performance royalties from 音乐 subscription services and $4.5 million from global digital performances for a 音乐 total of $429 million.
The 秒 biggest 来源 of revenue was TV and movie projects, led 由 the "Michael Jackson: This Is It" documentary about the singer's final rehearsals for his planned 伦敦 shows. Sony Pictures paid $60 million for the rights to the film, which earned $72 million at the box office to become the highest-grossing 音乐会 film ever. It earned an additional $188 million overseas, while the DVD of the film raked in $43 million in the U.S., as well as $24 million in rental income. It earned $18 million just in 日本 on the first 日 of release and another $7 million in Blu-Ray sales.
Billboard also speculated that the sales of the TV rights to "This Is It" to Viacom (the parent company of MTV) may have generated an additional $15 million, and licensing fees for nontheatrical performances (airplanes, cruise ships, hotels) could bring in around $24 million.
One of Jackson's traditional cash cows, his 音乐 publishing rights, was another lucrative 来源 of income, taking in nearly $130 million. The singer's Mijac publishing company — with an estimated value of $75 million in 2005 — has a current value of around $150 million, generating around $25 million a 年 in revenue, with that number possibly doubling to $50 million in the past year. Jackson's half ownership of the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog could be worth as much as an additional $80 million a year.
The executors of Jackson's estate have cut a series of deals over the past year, resulting in around $35 million in additional revenue. Because many 粉丝 declined to return their tickets to the 伦敦 This Is It shows, preferring to retain them as keepsakes, those tickets were worth $6.5 million, along with around $5 million in 音乐会 merchandise sales; a 秒 deal with merchandise maker Bravado cut in August reportedly included a $10 million advance. A Jackson memorabilia exhibit in 日本 has earned $3.5 million. And additional licensing royalties and retail sales could have rolled up $10 million 或者 更多 for the estate.
It is not known how much game-maker Ubisoft paid to license Jackson's image for an upcoming video game 或者 what potential revenues could be from a pair of upcoming Jackson-themed Cirque du Soleil shows.
Finally, even in death Jackson has one of the most lucrative recording contracts around. Sony 音乐 Entertainment cut a deal in March with the estate to release 10 Jackson albums through 2017. From a collection of previously unreleased Jackson songs due in November to reissues of such landmark albums as 1979's solo debut, Off the Wall, the estate is guaranteed between $200 and $250 million for the Sony pact. Though none of the albums have been released yet, if just one of the contract's eight years comes off as planned, it could add $31 million to the estate's coffers.
Celebrate Michael Jackson's legacy all week long as 音乐电视 News looks back at his life, his 音乐 and the death that shook the world one 年 ago.
Backstage After A Concert
This is NOT it.Tell us the truth.
