In a new interview for Music Business Worldwide, John Branca was contacted by phone (Due to COVID-19 and lockdown) for an exclusive interview to speak about his role a Music Industry Lawyer.
During the interview, Branca was depicted as one of the greatest Music Manager Lawyer in the Music Industry, representing a large catalogue of artists as a partner at law firm Ziffren Brittenham LLP and breaking deals in publishing and music rights.
He spoke about the Sony/ATV deals from 1995 to 2016 which made Michael Jackson number one on the highest Paid Dead Celebrities list.
Branca also mentioned that he worked with Michael since “Off The Wall” and the new Sony Deal after his passing.
“When Michael tragically passed away in 2009, the deal with Sony – our distribution deal – was almost up. So we were in a position to renegotiate that deal to extend Sony’s term of rights to distribute Michael’s recordings, and then we renewed it again a few years later.
We did this primarily because of Rob Stringer who is one of the industry’s great record executives and who has had a long relationship with Michael’s music, including overseeing the marketing and promotion of Michael’s History album”
Branca also signed deals such as “MJ ONE” and “IMMORTAL” by Cirque du Soleil, “BAD25” and “MJ: The Musical”.
He carried on speaking about the importance for artists to have a plan in place for legacy: “Artists need to pay attention to their legacy. They need to give some thought in their estate planning, as to who they appoint to represent their estates and carry on their legacy, and be very specific about it. You can really see the difference, for example, in the Michael Jackson Estate versus the Prince Estate. And yes, some of it is about management, but really it was Michael appointing people who he thought could handle his legacy, whereas Prince left it to the courts and a bank.”
He also mentioned the Michael Jackson Hologram saying that he cannot see the future in this for an extended periods of time. “I don’t think the issue is licensing; it’s not that complicated. I’m just not a big fan of holograms. In short doses, like the Tupac hologram or the Michael Jackson hologram we did on the Billboard Music Awards [in 2014], I like them – I think they’re fun, they remind us of the artists and you get a sense they’re there with you. But as an entertainment vehicle for extended periods of time, they’re just not dynamic enough.”
Fans can be reassure to not have a Michael Jackson Hologram Concert any time soon!
He also spoke about the Mijac Catalogue which fans are worried about: “Mijac remains a very active, thriving music publishing company. We will never sell Mijac in a manner to give up control – it will be passed down to Michael’s children. We just purchased the renewal rights for the Sly & The Family Stone catalog.”
When asked about “Leaving Neverland”, Branca said he will never give up and will always fight to prove Michael is innocent!
“Never give up. In this era, sometimes very unfair conclusions and opinions can be drawn, based not on fact or evidence, but instead based on a media phenomenon. Unfortunately, the legacy press are not in a position to do their homework or their research anymore. And tragically, deceased artists have no protection under the libel laws, which is completely unfair and must change.
Media and information travels so rapidly now without verification. In the modern era, especially in the United States, it’s become popular to take a position or opinion without examining the facts. In the case of Leaving Neverland, [in Branca’s opinion] these stories are not true. It’s shocking that AT&T and HBO would do that.
One of the reasons why we’re insistent on having this arbitration is to bring out the truth, and to really say shame on you AT&T and shame on you HBO for doing this.
Take a look at the statements made by these two individuals, and then do research that can be independently verified. Michael’s fans have done the research; there have been certain journalists, especially in England, that have done the research. In this era it’s not popular [to do so]; everyone wants to find a culprit. But Michael Jackson is not Harvey Weinstein, he’s not Robert Kelly [R.Kelly].
Nobody else [since the movie came out] have made these allegations – doesn’t that tell you something? It does to me.”
What fans can take away from this interview is that the Estate of Michael Jackson is still actively defending Michael Jackson against “Leaving Neverland” and all those involved; No Michael Jackson Hologram Concerts are in plans; Mijac will be passed on to Michael’s children when they take over the Estate. However, nothing about future deals or future projects have been mentioned.
For the full Interview and article CLICK HERE
