On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson
stood in front of crowds of fans. Before screaming fans, he pronounced with
pumping arms: “This is it!”
A few months later, Jackson was
dead. With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural
events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June
25. This figure is based on his royalties（版税） from album sales, radio
play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music
catalog (编目权).
Jackson’s music was his most
easily-seen source in the last months. “Nothing increases the value of an
artist than death ... an untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music
industry economist.
The music’s immediate value was
clear. Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5.9 million albums in the U.S.
and another 4.5 million overseas. In the first weeks after his death, there
were 5.6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia.
Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the
US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best
seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift’s Fearless.
More than 500,000 Jackson
ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold. In the week following his death,
songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times
on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS.
Jackson’s estate（遗产）will
likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the
profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name. The
estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG.
Ticket sales from an exhibit
opening in London will also contribute a likely profit. Hundreds of Jackson’s
personal belongings－his L.A. Rolls Royce etc－will
remain on show for three months at the O2 for fans willing to shell out $25 for
a view.
The pop singer bought ATV
Publishing, for 47.5millionin1985.Tenyearslater,hesoldthecatalogtoSonyfor47.5millionin1985.Tenyearslater,hesoldthecatalogtoSonyfor95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about
1.7to1.7to2 billion. So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death.
Jackson’s future earning
potential is based on his stock in valuable music and as well as the value of
his image（肖像）. As many musicians, actors and
artists before him, Jackson’s fame could have a long tail on the market with
allowable products, advertising and entertainment events.
1.What do Barry Massarsky’s words
in Paragraph 3 imply?
A. Jackson died at the time as
expected.
B. Only at death can an artist
become famous.
C. Jackson became more famous at
death than when he was alive.
D. Jackson’s unexpected death
raised his value as an artist immediately.
2.All the following is true
EXCEPT that _____.
A. “This is it” is the
last concert that Jackson gave
B. Jackson has sold 10.4 million
albums since June
C. Jackson’s L.A. Rolls Royce is
now for show and will finally be sold
D. Jackson’s stock in music and
his image will keep on earning money in the future
3.What can be inferred from the
passage?
A. Jackson’s album Number Ones
beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003.
B. Taylor Swift’s Fearless is
the second best seller of music albums of 2009.
C. AEG takes in more film profits
from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate.
D. More Jackson’s music videos
were sold than his ringtones right after his death.
4.What can we know about the
Sony/ATV catalog?
A. Jackson sold ATV catalog to
Sony in 1985.
B. Jackson had half right of ATV
Publishing at his death.
C. Jackson sold ATV catalog to
Sony for $ 47.5 million in 1995.
D. Jackson’s stock in Sony/ATV
now has a value of about $ 1.7 billion to 2 billion.
5.What
is the main idea of the passage?
A. Why Michael Jackson’s music is
so popular all over the world.
B. How Michael Jackson has earned
$90 million in the months since his death.
C. What Michael Jackson’s future
earning potential is based on.
D. How much Michael Jackson
earned in the first few months after his death.
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