Michael Jackson, Inc.: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Billion-Dollar Empire by Zack O'Malley Greenburg (2016-01-05)

As Zack Greenburg walks his reader through the maze of Michael Jackson's financial life, he demonstrates how the thread that ran through all of the phenomenal, record-breaking successes of the King of Pop was the man himself.As in most things Michael Jackson, the media have typically provided over-the-top and misleading coverage of MJ's business dealings, overlooking his entrepreneurial prowess, visionary acumen, and genius. Zack reveals the surprising inside stories of MJ's acquisition of the largest music catalog in history, of his fantastical 2700-acre Neverland that reflected his core personality, and of the stratospheric earning power of the King of Pop. He also interprets the downfall of MJ and of his financial status in a thorough, credible, and interesting way, in parts difficult to read because of the pathos and victimhood in the story.Although the public was fed negatively skewed material about MJ's finances across the years, Zack shows how the lens and yardstick with which MJ was perceived and measured were generally inaccurate and distorted. He presents the reader with a fascinating case study of the King of Entrepreneurship, who set the bar in so many areas for other artists to follow his lead. He was a game changer, whose soft voice and steel will combined to effect new ways of marketing music and monetizing celebrity. MJ studied the greats - in music, dance, and finance - and then became greater, a goal that he set for himself as a very young man.MJ was indeed a trail-blazer in everything he did - dance, music, film, life-style, philanthropy - with risk-taking decision-making, out-of-the-box thinking, driving ambition, and a level of perfectionism that fueled his bigger-and-better obsession. And MJ achieved his #1 status in the music industry in spite of his poverty-level childhood, barriers of racism, and numerous obstacles that included false charges of criminal behavior related to children.Using insights from his own background as a child star, Zack Greenburg demonstrates a real understanding of the "delicious, terrible, reality-bending world of show business." MJ dealt with that world for his entire 50-year life. He went from very poor to very wealthy to both poor and wealthy at the same time! During his last years MJ held valuable assets but was cash poor, which situation compelled him to return to rigorous preparations for a return to the stage. His untimely death, at the hands of his doctor who was treating him for insomnia with inappropriate drugs, ironically reversed the downward spiral of MJ's finances with dizzying speed. Today he is the highest-earning celebrity, and it was his intelligence, hard work, and creativity that have achieved that pinnacle.Zack's writing is both fluid and powerful. It is somewhat similar to poetry in that he uses vivid images, similes, metaphors, and concise sentences. The writing style is one of the greatest strengths of this book. Having interviewed more than 100 people from MJ's life from various periods of his life, Zack also used many other primary sources to validate his extensive research.Michael Jackson, Inc. is a must-read for Michael Jackson fans and for anyone who is interested in the financial workings of show business. It is a compelling study of the cost of fame and fortune and of the mind of the genius who was Michael Jackson.Karen Moriarty, Author, "Defending A King ~ His Life & Legacy"

produto chegou muito rapido, gostei muito

I could not put it down A fascinating side of his life.I'm going to read it again. Loved it.

J'ai été agréablement surpris de ce livre, ils nous fait entrevoir un King Of Pop loin des carricatures médiatiques, on voit ici un grand business man, un homme avisé qui a su très vite s'entourer des meilleurs.

This is the story of how Michael Jackson pioneered a new template for "pop star as brand and business owner." Greenburg details Jackson's vision of himself as a new kind of entertainer: not selling rights to his songs, acquiring other copyrights, leveraging his popularity to start shoe & clothing lines. It's a concept that didn't exist before Jackson; he broke new ground in this area just as he revolutionized the music video, dance, and so many other things.It is also a cautionary tale about the unanticipated effects of corporate mergers & acquisitions - in this case, Jackson, ended up owning half of the Sony/ATV music catalog (worth billions) but also having a separate relationship with Sony as a recording artist (when his label, CBS/Epic, was eventually acquired by Sony). This dual relationship of being co-owner and contractor seems to me to be at the root of the disputes and frustrations that soured a previously good business arrangement between Jackson & Sony. He had several albums still to deliver under his recording contract, but when he became unhappy with them, couldn't afford to legally dispute and/or walk away, because the rest of his fortune was too attached to the same company.The book is well written and well-documented with numerous interviews and little reliance on third party reports. What it doesn't do is explain the 'why" of some of Jackson's later decisions. There are several clues, however. For example, at one point after Jackson's acquittal & return to the Unites States, he strongly considered selling his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog in order to liquidate and pay off debts. But he was advised not to do so.From a financial/business standpoint that was probably good advice, but I doubt that it was the right advice (on a personal level) for someone who had just been through the most devastating personal wringer. Going back to work was the solution Jackson chose (rather than sell) and we know how that worked out. It makes you wish someone would have said, 'you've been working since you were six. It's OK to cash in and just enjoy.' Unfortunately, Michael been trained that 'the show must go on.'

Endlich mal etwas Neues über M Jackson! Sachlich, gut dokumentiert und sehr informativ! Ich kann dieses Buch nur weiter empfehlen.