I'm so deeply bothered by this "Breaking News" track on MichaelJackson.com. I know their agenda is to get us to talk about it and give more publicity to this upcoming album, but to do it deceptively is so anti-Michael. It's all for L.O.V.E.? I guess now that he's gone it's all for M.O.N.E.Y. I shouldn't add fuel to the fire, but I want to express how I feel.
Major Label Exploitation Becomes Mockery of Fans
The major labels have always exploited their artists. Always. This is nothing new. But there's no discernable reason for this trickery. A new Michael Jackson song would get enough attention without the "Is it him or isn't it?" controversy.
And where's the question in that anyway? I've been listening to his 40 years of music for almost 30 years of my life, but even if today was the first time I'd heard his voice, I could still tell you that's NOT him.
The most disgusting part of this story is that Sony is toying with fans who are still very much in mourning for an artist and human being that they genuinely loved. This is on the verge of mockery. "Hey, let's see if we can fool the fans, get this to go viral, and rake in the big bucks while they're still at their most vulnerable." Is that really the definition of business nowadays? Call me old fashioned but I'd say that's the definition of bullsh*t.
I'm not even touching on the conspiracy theories here, just talking about basic human decency. Respect for the dead and for the ones left behind to grieve and/or celebrate the life that was lost.
This deceptive marketing is beyond disrespectful to those fans who have given of themselves to receive the music that they love, and in that process have paid for those executives' mansions. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
To the label, if you want our pre-orders which you have been begging us for in daily emails, try identifying the impersonator who is singing on that track first. Provide some truth about what you're really selling here.
Call it a tribute song, not a new Michael Jackson song. You cannot "complete" his work for him. It will never be complete. The only people on this planet who I would accept completing his unfinished work are his children, and I'm sure there are a lot of fans who wouldn't even accept that.
We want the raw demos. We want what's real. Just because you own it doesn't mean you should tamper with it.
Why "Getting Signed" is Not One of My Goals
As an artist I'll spell it out for you guys. I would never do something like this to you, my audience. This is one of the reasons (among many) that I no longer count "getting signed" among my goals. It's not completely off the table, because I want to reach as many of you as I can. But I fear it. I want to do it completely solo, and coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, I'm bold enough to believe I can do it.
It's ambitious, with ambitious being a massive understatement, to try to reach the amount of people I want to reach without the publicity that a major label can provide. But I believe we can power this dream with love and word of mouth, and leave the so-called necessary evils out of the equation.
So when I do post those songs of mine, if they resonate with you, it will be in your hands to spread that resonation throughout your world and the people who live in it... Because I don't want to spread a message of healing and hope by pushing it violently through a negative space.
And as much as I'd love to believe that signing a contract would be a magical and wonderful experience that would open up a new world to me, I have seen just the opposite of that happen too many times.
I want to be an instrument of joy, not a corporate puppet.
We reside in a place of power right now because nobody owns my music but me. Nobody else stands to profit if I become a legend and leave that stage too soon. It's up to us to keep it that way.
But anyway, one step at a time. For now let's do what we can to protect Michael's legacy. We'll never wrestle his music from the hands of Sony, but maybe we can persuade them to treat that music with a little more kindness, and to treat the fans with a little more love.
We've got to work out the kinks. The situation is imperfect and the artist is elsewhere, but we've got to roll with it.
Or in other words...
"This is why we rehearse." -MJ
