Michael Jackson’s estate is in a dispute with an auction house planning to sell the late singer’s unreleased music.
TMZ reports that Gotta Have Rock and Roll is moving some cassette tapes with previously unheard MJ songs. His estate is unhappy, deeming the sale a "sad attempt by an auction site to mislead the public."
The auction house is selling two tapes, each with 12 unreleased tracks that the pop icon recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s with music producer Bryan Loren, prior to MJ’s Dangerous album. The tapes have an opening bid of $85,000; Gotta Have Rock and Roll anticipates the sale price to be between $150,000 to $200,000.
Jackson’s estate told the outlet that the cassettes aren’t actually originals, but recordings of the masters, which are in the estate’s possession. That means the buyer won’t be able to reproduce or publicly play the cassettes, which the estate called “a long-outdated format.”
Gotta Have Rock and Roll’s president, Dylan Kosinski, told TMZ that the “cassettes are more valuable because they can't be reproduced or released to the public,” calling the auction a “bigger deal” because the estate is still holding onto the originals. Michael’s collaborator, Loren, is said to have given the copies to the auction’s consignor.
Regardless of the estate’s feelings, the auction house is moving forward with the sale, which is slated to open Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. ET.
Earlier this month, the late, great MJ was compared to Kendrick Lamar by none other than Ye, who likened the Compton emcee's recent Super Bowl performance to that of the King of Pop. Ye said he "really loved the show" and compared it to MJ's 1993 halftime show.