Michael Jackson May Have Left Paul McCartney Rights to 200 Beatles Songs in His Will

[Lorax7844]

Michael Jackson May Have Left Paul McCartney Rights to 200 Beatles Songs in His Will:
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/10457

"Michael Jackson arranged to give Paul McCartney the rights to the Beatles back catalog through his will according to reports published earlier this year. The pair who scored hits together in the mid-1980's with Say, Say, Say and The Girl Is Mine had been feuding for years after Jackson won the rights to the Beatles back catalog because of legal wrangling between Macca and John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono.
McCartney for years expressed his dissatisfaction with Jackson's maneuver and the two were never on speaking terms again. Previously, the pair collaborated on Jackson's 1982 'Thriller' extract 'The Girl is Mine,' and McCartney's 1983 single 'Say, Say, Say' from 'Pipes of Peace' and forged a close friendship.
U.K. newspaper the Daily Mirror quoted a Jackson insider as saying in January saying:
"Michael told his lawyers he was sad he no longer talks to Sir Paul and said he wanted to make things right."

[LynneSin]

1. From what I've read about the debt that MJ has left behind

it may be setup that McCartney has the first rights to buy the catalog. The sale price could make a major impact of wiping out MJ's debts.

[merh]

2. You are probably right.

I cannot imagine MJ leaving his kids with nothing and those rights are money makers, nothing to do but collect.

Mending fences with Sir Paul versus providing for 3 children, the children win.

Besides, Sir Paul is a business man, if he took MJ's business dealings so personally then there is no way he could be as successful as he has been.

[trueblue2007]

3. When I heard this yesterday.....I cried again.

I wish the 2 men could have put aside what happened and gotten back together again.

[cherish44]

4. That would be awesome if true

I know it's always been a sore spot with McCartney fans that Jackson snatched up the catalog from under Paul and Yoko. I heard Paul didn't want to buy them without Yoko, Yoko didn't want to spend more than $5 for them (!) and MJ slid in and made an offer the sellers couldn't refuse. So yeah like everything else wrong in the world, it was Yoko's fault :rofl:


Anyway not owning his own songs is something Paul has lamented on a lot over the years. He had to get Jackson's permission whenever he wanted to perform something from his Beatle days. (The real blame for this mess was Brian Epstein, he made some terrible business deals and it's his fault they didn't own their songs to begin with).

[LTR]

5. Those rights won't be worth much to MJ's estate in a few years

McCartney said a few months ago that in a few years, many of the rights begin reverting back to Lennon/McCartney (and Harrison in a few instances). He hasn't been too concerned with buying the rights, and is content to just wait.

The story about MJ's will was from The Mirror, and they're not the most reliable source in the world. Nonetheless, McCartney's claim does give credence to it.

BTW: MJ only owns half of ATV/Northern Songs. Sony owns the rest.