One might wonder how the inspirational story of Micheal Jackson and Quincy Jones went south. The question on most minds will be, “Where did it all go wrong?”
Veteran record producer Quincy Jones, known for his role in shaping Michael Jackson’s music legacy, passed away on November 3, 2024, at his home in Los Angeles, sending shockwaves through the industry.
He was an immensely versatile producer who won a total of 28 Grammy Awards.
Jones worked with musicians ranging from Frank Sinatra to Count Basie, Celine Dion, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles.
The person known to be the mastermind behind Michael Jackson’s best-selling albums and most iconic records, such as Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad, which together racked up over 100 million copies in sales worldwide, also sued the King of Pop over unpaid royalties.
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According to a report by the LA Times, Jones clarified that his lawsuit was never directed at Michael Jackson or his family.
In the lawsuit, Jones argued that breaches of contract dating back to the 1970s and ’80s had cost him millions in royalties.
Quincy Jones also claimed unpaid royalties and licensing fees for songs he produced that were featured posthumously in This Is It and in Cirque du Soleil shows Immortal Tour and One.
His contracts entitled him to a share of royalties for work with Jackson, but his attorneys and the estate disputed whether Jones was entitled to profits from Jackson’s 1991 joint venture with Sony or only to licensing fees from films like This Is It.
The Jackson estate acknowledged a minor accounting error, estimating it owed Jones around $392,000, far less than the $30 million he sought.
Jones initially filed a $10-million breach-of-contract suit in 2013 against Sony Music Entertainment, Jackson’s label Epic Records’ parent company, and MJJ Productions, controlled by Jackson’s estate.
Quincy actually blamed the lawyers representing Jackson’s estate, noting issues around credit and compensation in the This Is It documentary, which profited extensively from Jackson’s work but failed to credit Jones for producing the songs.
He explained that the estate made substantial profits, while his compensation offer was comparatively minimal, which he rejected.
The attorney for Jackson’s estate, Howard Weitzman, disputed Jones’ claims, asserting that Jones received the royalties he was contractually owed for producing the songs used in This Is It and had no involvement with the film itself.
In a conversation with Vulture at the time in 2018, Quincy Jones said,
“I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs. State of Independence and Billie Jean.
The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come.”
Quincy Jones added that Michael had been greedy and should have given keyboardist Greg Phillinganes partial writing credit on the song Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.
Quincy had always stated that this was never about Michael Jackson, Jones emphasized, pointing out that he held no grievances against Jackson or his family.
But some of Michael Jackson’s family did not take some of Quincy’s remarks lightly.
Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, offered a different perspective, saying he felt that Quincy Jones might have been envious of Michael’s talent, which he believed Jones had not seen in any other artist he had worked with.
However, they also claimed the Jackson family’s support, noting that the Jackson family even supported him, with Jermaine Jackson reaching out to assure him of their full backing.
The suit, however, resulted in a jury awarding Quincy $9.4 million after a civil case in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2017.
