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- By Charlotte Gallagher
- culture correspondent
Image source, fake images
The deal means Jackson’s entire catalog is worth more than $1 billion.
Sony Music Group is believed to have paid at least $600m (£475m) for half of Michael Jackson’s catalogue.
If accurate, it would mean the singer’s musical assets are worth more than $1.2bn (£950m).
The deal would also be the largest ever for the work of a single musician.
Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, is one of the most successful pop stars of all time and has sold more than 400 million records worldwide.
That figure is controversial and could be much higher.
The King of Pop is also very popular on streaming services, with almost 40 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
His songs Billie Jean and Beat It have each been streamed over a billion times on Spotify alone.
No doubt an upcoming biopic starring Jackson’s nephew in the lead role will also increase interest.
The catalog deal is also reported to include tracks by other artists acquired by Jackson’s Mijac publishing group, said to include hits by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.
The sale would have been arranged with Michael Jackson’s estate, which manages the late star’s affairs.
Selling music catalogs can be financially lucrative
BBC News has contacted Sony Music Group and Michael Jackson’s estate for comment.