(FinalCall.com)—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