Sony Music and the estate are sued by a fan who claims millions of devotees are tricked into thinking the pop icon sang lead vocals on three tracks on 2010 album.
AceShowbiz –
Sony Music bosses have slammed reports suggesting a lawyer confessed to the release of faked Michael Jackson songs during a class action case.
Several news outlets have suggested a lawyer for the late King of Pop’s estate alluded to the use of fake lead vocals, recorded by an impersonator, on the songs Breaking News, Monster and Keep Your Head Up, which featured on the 2010 album Michael, during a hearing on Tuesday, August 21.
According to Variety, court attendees seized on the estate attorney’s statement to support the idea that the Beat It hitmaker did not sing on the three tracks in question, but sources tell the publication the legal expert was just speaking speculatively, and now Sony’s lead lawyer in the case has released a statement on behalf of her client denying any such concession was made while court was in session this week.
“No one has conceded that Michael Jackson did not sing on the songs,” said Zia Modabber of law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, who is representing both Sony Music and the Jackson estate. “The hearing (on) Tuesday was about whether the First Amendment protects Sony Music and the Estate and there has been no ruling on the issue of whose voice is on the recordings”.
Sony Music, the Michael Jackson estate, and producer Eddie Cascio were slapped with a class action lawsuit in 2014 by fan Vera Serova, who claimed millions of devotees were tricked by executives into thinking the pop icon sang lead vocals on the three tracks when, in fact, another singer allegedly recorded the tracks.
Serova alleges that Cascio recorded fake Michael Jackson songs with an impersonator and sold them for use on the posthumous album.
The conspiracy was fuelled in 2011 by Jason Malachi, a singer who some fans believe is the person who recorded Jackson’s songs, when he shared a Facebook post in which he appeared to admit to cutting the tunes. The post was quickly deleted and Malachi’s manager later claimed the message was faked.
Source: Read Full Article