#MJFam 2002-Jermaine Jackson: If they can get away with destroying someone as large as Michael, what hope does a new artist or any of us have? Jermaine Jackson defends his brother in fight with Sony (FinalCall)—In a blistering, exclusive interview with The Final Call, Jermaine Jackson, older brother of recording superstar Michael Jackson and a member of the Jacksons singing group defended Michael and his call for Sony Music Corp. to open its books and give artists and managers fair compensation. He also urged his brother’s detractors to hold their tongues and wait until all the facts in the controversy are revealed. Jermaine Jackson was responding to comments by hip hop guru Russell Simmons and entertainers that were critical of Michael and defended Sony CEO Tommy Mottola. We believe that the amount of record sales attributed to Michael is understated, said Jermaine Jackson. There are numerous artists who are deceived by record companies who overwhelm them with lawyers, accountants, publicists, double talk, false practices and shady business dealings. It is our intention to ensure that gifts of petty handouts, past or present, do not compromise all those who support Michael and our family. We want to assure all that together we can fight racism in the music business without limitation. The Jackson family hopes to serve as a vehicle for Black artists past and present, he said. The King of Pop delivered stinging accusations against the music industry as a whole while attending a July 6 gathering at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters in Harlem. Michael Jackson decried industry racism, citing historic exploitation of Black artists and called Mr. Mottola a racist. He also alleged that Mr. Mottola once referred to an artist as a fat, Black n----r. Sony denied the accusations, accusing Michael Jackson trying to attract media attention. Other critics questioned why the claims of racism were only surfacing now, and accused Michael Jackson of trying to cut money owed to Sony because of lackluster sales of his album Invincible. Jermaine Jackson told The Final Call that Sony claims about money spent to promote Invincible were inflated. Inaccurate accounting has historically been used to exploit Black artists, he charged. Sony says it spent $55 million in the promotion, packaging and distribution of the album. Sony also says Invincible sold just two million units in the United States, a far cry from industry expectations. Michael Jackson’s previous albums Thriller and Bad still rank one and two, respectively, on the list of all-time selling albums in music history. According to Jermaine, he and his brother want Sony to sign a full disclosure clause, which agrees to detail each artist’s account, record sales, distribution costs and publicity expenses. Further, he added, another demand is that the recording giant disclose standardized payments for artists—similar to rules governing professional basketball contracts. The salary structure should also be revamped, he said. For new artists, it will structure them and help them to scrutinize better their choice of lawyers, accountants and representatives of their work. They need to be taught the ropes of the business, Jermaine said. Artists need to understand how to manage their careers, how to chose a record label, an attorney and how to avoid ending their careers broke, he said. The industry looks at us solely as a medium to make money. But as soon as we get smart and educate ourselves, we become harder to deal with. If they can get away with destroying someone as large as Michael, what hope does a new artist or any of us have? Jermaine asked. He plans to build a Global Information Network, that will investigate and reveal information about the music industry and its business practices. Power 101 Analysis will profile the top music companies, their boards of directors, identify top Blacks in each company and review their primary sources of funding, Jermaine said. He also plans to tour the country to promote his Global Information Network and share information about the music business. Asked about the timing of his brother’s allegations against the industry, Sony and Mr. Mottola, in particular, Jermaine replied, Tommy Mottola has used nepotism and cronyism to assure total financial control. Michael Jackson is the foundation for Sony Music. He is the cornerstone upon which others were able to build a career. We believe that Sony through Mr. Mottola, and others, has escaped responsibility for its own history, by seeking to undermine my brother Michael to enrich themselves. In light of all of these corporate blunders, we should not be surprised by news of corporate corruption. ... If they are attacking him (Michael) they are attacking me! And I am not going to sit by and let them just say and do anything, he vowed. —Eric Ture Muhammad finalcall/national/jermaine_jackson07-23-2002.htm
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 20:34:47 +0000
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