Three songs from the 2010 album Michael, “Breaking News,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and “Monster,” according to Jackson fan Vera Serova, were sold as Michael Jackson’s recordings even though Jackson’s own children, friends, and fellow musicians believed they were sung by someone else.
Thus, a fan, Serova filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony Music, the Jackson property, and the production company in 2014.
Michael Jackson Fake Vocals Lawsuit Settled
However, the three tracks, particularly the first posthumous single “Breaking News,” were in question even before Michael Jackson’s album was made public since they appeared to be the product of a recording session that Jackson is said to have conducted with producer Eddie Cascio in New Jersey in 2007.
People’s Responses
In 2010, William mentioned that “It’s not Michael Jackson”. “That ain’t Mike, I thought when I heard the song that’s now trending online. He didn’t micromanage Michael as he did with ‘Thriller’ and ‘Billie Jean’ because he wasn’t present. It repulses me.”
The estate of Jackson asserted that sound experts had already mentioned and confirmed that the voice on the in-question recordings was Jackson’s only at the time of the album’s release — Michael was the first posthumous LP following the King of Pop’s 2009 passing — however in December 2017, Sony Music and the estate acknowledged that the audios may not have Jackson’s vocals. Soon after, they moved focus from the singing to the album’s liner notes, which named Jackson as the performer.
Rights To Michael Jackson’s Discography
In a historic $750 million transaction, Sony Music acquired the rights to Jackson’s discography in 2016. His estate had been employing new company ventures to consolidate his responsibilities.
Sony and the estate claimed in a joint statement to Billboard that “regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, the parties to the complaint amicably resolved to stop the litigation, which may have included more appeals and a drawn-out trial court procedure.”
The case was followed by some recent developments, which are:
Even though neither side said the songs were fake, they were taken down from streaming sites because it was “the easiest and best way to end the debate about these recordings once and for all.”
The eight-year lawsuit over the tracks, which wound its way through California courts before the Covid-19 pandemic halted its progress. Finally came to an end on Wednesday when both sides decided to end the lawsuit with a settlement. As Sony Music had hinted earlier this summer when it removed the three disputed Michael songs from streaming services. The settlement’s specifics were kept under wraps.
Therefore the three songs in question, “Breaking News,” “Monster,” and “Keep Your Head Up,” were taken down by Sony Music and the late superstar’s estate last month. They are no longer available on Spotify or Apple Music. This was viewed by the defendants as the “easiest and finest way to finish the conversation.”
Prince’s Claims
Prince Jackson said he didn’t recognise the voices on the three tapes, despite Cascio’s justification. Even though there were still unanswered questions regarding the Cascio recordings, they were finished and included in the 10-song Michael.
Thus, the lawsuit that a Michael Jackson fan filed eight years ago against Sony and the singer’s estate over posthumous recordings the label published that was supposedly performed by an impostor has been finally resolved.
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