Just three months shy of the 1st anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death, his estate has entered into a renewed partnership with Sony Music: a $200 million guaranteed contract with the record label calling for 10 projects to be released during the next seven years.

What’s more, the unheard-of contract, which gives Sony exclusive rights to new releases through 2017, could be worth up to $250 million if all aspects of the deal are kept. According to initial reports, the contract calls for at least one project to contain never-before-released Jackson recordings from his legendary vault of recorded, but unused material that could come out as early as November 2010.

With the exact wording of the contract unknown, speculation is the proposed 10 projects could include everything from a proposed Thriller-inspired video game, a music video compilation DVD or even a rerelease of his acclaimed Off The Wall cd, which was originally released back in 1979.

It seems Sony, in a show of good faith has generously included last year’s two-disc cd that coincided with the release of MJ’s final concert film, This Is It as part of the 10 projects.  That audio release alone sold more than 5 million units. (Examiner)

If only Michael Jackson could have seen his work praised in such a way.

If you’re not sure which tune it is in the old Sonic game, don’t lose hope. Jackson reused most of the chord progressions from the video game tune in his hit “Strangers In Moscow”.

The intention was to use the new videos as transitions into the performed versions of the songs, transitions that are a long way from the original. Payne promises that the new “Thriller” is nothing like the boy on the date with the girl, while at the same time, “We didn’t touch what we considered the sacred inside of it.” And while the new version of “Thriller” and the other songs will be screened with This Is It in plain old 2D next week, that’s not how they were intended to be seen, and that might not be the last we see of them either. Read on…

This should most certainly be interesting! The article goes on to say that even This Is It could end up in 3-D, along with music videos that were originally intended to play during the concert. Very interesting indeed.

As it’s currently preparing for the big release of the “This Is It” docu-film and the accompanying 2-CD album, the Michael Jackson Estate is also working on the release of two new albums. Written and recorded sometime in the time interval 2004-2009, the never-before-heard tracks are all said to be “class A,” as TMZ informs.

Speculation about the unreleased tracks that Michael left behind after his tragic and sudden death in June this year first started shortly afterwards, when the Estate began inquiries into his affairs. First reports had it that he had over 100 complete songs in his possession at the time of death, which would have been more than enough for two whole albums.
Later on, rumors said sister LaToya Jackson had removed the finished tracks from Michael’s home, but nothing was heard of that later.

Now, the rumors emerge again, and they say all tracks currently in the possession of the Estate are much better than the recently released “This Is It” single. “Sources who have heard the unreleased recordings of Michael Jackson say there are at least 2 albums worth of class A songs that will be released over time, and some of them are even better than ‘This Is It.’ We’re told many of the songs that will make the cut were written and recorded by Jackson after he left Sony in 2004.” TMZ writes of the recent rumors.

According to the same unnamed but reliable sources, the celebrity gossip website / paparazzi agency can also report that, while there are countless other MJ songs better than “This Is It,” releasing it as the first posthumous single was a business decision, given its tone and lyrics. “As for ‘This Is It’ – we’re told everyone involved liked the tune but it wasn’t the best. As one source said, given the title and the tone, ‘It was the most appropriate song for the end of the movie.’” TMZ further explains.

As fans must already know, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” docu-film, comprised of footage shot during rehearsals at Staples Center for his London comeback, arrives in theaters for a limited run on October 28. The 2-CD boxset “Michael Jackson’s This Is It The Music That Inspired the Movie” will be released a day earlier, on the 27th. (source)

Jackson’s albums and compilations have locked down the top 10 on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart in the United States for the past three weeks, selling more than 2.3 million albums since the singer’s death, including 1.1 million over the past seven days. At a time when most contemporary stars struggle to notch sales of more than 2 or 3 million, the numbers are impressive, but they’re even better when sales across the globe are factored in. According to the Los Angeles Times, an unidentified source with knowledge of sales figures for the catalog said that more than 9 million Jackson albums have been sold worldwide since June 25. Read on…