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Many netizens on X have likened Drake's ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Studios (UMG) to that of Michael Jackson and Sony. On Monday, November 25, Drake filed a pre-action petition against UMG alleging that the company combined with Spotify and Apple to artificially inflate the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us. Curiously, UMG also distributes the records of Drake himself.
At a Manhattan court filing on Monday, Drake's Frozen Moments LLC claimed that UMG used illegal schemes including bots, payolas, and other devices to boost the streaming numbers of Not Like Us. The Kendrick Lamar chart-topper is considered one of the most iconic diss tracks of the longstanding feud between the two rappers.
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Similar to Drake and UMG, Michael Jackson was involved in one of the most iconic feuds with Sony. Jackson's conflict with Sony first started in 1997, when the King of Pop wanted to own the rights to his songs by the turn of the century but the recording label allegedly turned their backs on him.
The longstanding legal battle finally ended with Sony Music buying half of Michael Jackson's music catalog and master recordings for $600 million in February 2024. According to Billboard, the deal valued the total musical assets of Michael Jackson at a whopping $1.2 billion.
As per Variety, the deal included several assets including Jackson's Mijac publishing catalog. The catalog contained multiple titles written or performed by Jerry Lee Lewis, Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, Ray Charles, Percy Sledge, Dion, Sly & the Family Stone, etc. However, royalties from the MJ Broadway musical and other theatrical productions weren't included in the deal.
The report from Variety also stated that 10% of Jackson's musical assets were held by Primary Wave Music.
History of conflict between Michael Jackson and Sony Music
In 1975, Michael Jackson and the Jacksons signed with CBS Records which was acquired by Sony in 1988 for $2 billion. After renaming it to Sony Music Entertainment in 1991, the company bifurcated it into two separate labels, i.e., Epic Records and Columbia Records. Michael Jackson and his brothers were signed to Epic Records.
The first signs of a conflict between Sony Music and Jackson were seen in 1997 when the two disagreed over the rights to MJ's music. While the singer wanted to own the rights to his work, the recording label extended their copyright. Michael Jackson opted to sign out of the recording label to own his work and avoid giving them exorbitant parts of the profit.
Reportedly Sony's CEO Tommy Mottola implored lawyer John Branca to pen down a contract that would tie Michael Jackson to the company for a longer time. This also led to the company allegedly botching up the promotions of MJ's tenth and final studio album, Invincible.
Additionally, the singer was prohibited from working on singles on his own, resulting in many creative initiatives getting shelved during that time.
Less than a year after the release of Invincible, Sony stopped promoting the album and its sales plummeted. This implored Michael Jackson to make a public statement in protest of the company in July 2002.
In what eventually became one of the most iconic moments in pop culture history, Jackson called Tommy Mottola "mean, a racist and very, very, very devilish." He also alleged that the CEO had used the N-word on an artist of color in the past. In a speech, he said:
"I’ve generated several billion dollars for Sony, several billon. They really thought that my mind is always on music and dancing. It usually is, but they never thought that this performer — myself — would out think them. So, we can’t let them get away with what they’re trying to do, because now I’m a free agent… I just owe Sony one more album."
Talking about Tommy Mottola, he continued:
"He’s a horrible human being. And we have to continue our drive until he is terminated. We can’t allow him to do this to great artists, we just can’t. I just wanted to let you know."
At that time, Jackson also attended fan protests against Sony Music and supported people holding placards badmouthing the multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Even after the death of the King of Pop, Sony faced severe controversies as three songs on Jackson's first posthumous album were alleged to have been performed by an imposter instead of MJ.
The legal tirade between the two parties finally ended with Sony Music acquiring half of MJ's masters for $600 million in a deal that was successfully closed in 2024.
