Sony Music admits using impersonator in some Michael Jackson songs
In surprising testimony, executives from the company said they duped MJ fans by using another singer, which many suspected
Michael Jackson once warned that Sony was dirty, and now what was done in the dark against the musical icon has come to light after the record company admitted in court that they released fake MJ music, HipHopNMore reports.
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Newly released court docs reveal that the record giant confessed to releasing three fake tracks sung by an impersonator in 2010. The bogus recordings include ‘Breaking News’, ‘Keep Your Head Up’ and ‘Monster.’ The three tunes appeared on Jackson’s first posthumous album.
The fake songs debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 228k.
When “Breaking News,” the first single from Michael Jackson’s posthumous album Michael, hit the Web, fans challenged some of the songs, saying that it wasn’t Jackson’s voice. His mother Katherine Jackson agreed.
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In 2014, a fan named Vera Serova, took the issue up in a Class Action lawsuit against Jackson’s long time friend Eddie Cascio and his production company, Angelikson Productions LLC.
Serova alleged that they made fake MJ songs and tried to pass them off as the real thing by selling them through Jackson’s estate and Sony Music Entertainment.
Jackson was close to Cascio and his family since the early 80s and considered them to be family. James Porte, who co-wrote 12 of MJ’s songs, was also named in the case as being complicit to the creation of the bogus tracks. Serova testified in Los Angeles Superior Court that they were recordedby singer Jason Malachi.
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Cascio and Porte made claims that Jackson recorded the song in Cascio’s basement in 2007.
Sony Music Entertainment came clean in court, admitting it released fake singles.
No word on how Sony will remedy this or what compensation will come to Michael Jackson’s estate with Sony’s admission.
