Michael Jackson says 'beat it' to accountants
Reclusive pop star lets go of long-standing firm and hires business restructuring and turnaround experts
Pop star Michael Jackson has sacked his long-standing team of accountants,
and created a new business called The Michael Jackson Company.
Jackson’s spokesperson, Raymone Blain, said today that he would no longer be
working under the auspices of his former company MJJ Productions, nor with any
of its advisers, including his Bahraini lawyers and longtime accountants
Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman and Sloan.
The move comes as part of ‘a sweeping restructuring of his personal and
business affairs’, she said.
Blain also announced she been named general manager of the new venture, and
Jackson had hired New York-based entertainment lawyer L. Londell McMillan and
his McMillan firm to oversee his business affairs. McMilan’s firm is ‘known for
business restructurings and turnarounds’, said Blain.
Certainly, McMillan is renowned for protecting artist’s rights, and works
mainly on behalf of African American clients, for whom he has often secured
breakthrough business deals.
He gained notoriety for emancipating the music icon Prince from his contract
from Warner Bros Records, during which time Prince changed his name to a symbol
and wore the word ‘slave’ on his face.
Blain has also revealed that Jackson is planning to move to Europe for
business reasons, and is planning a return to performing .
‘He is reviewing numerous offers to tour musically, which he plans to embark
upon within the next several months,’ she said. ‘Mr Jackson has previously
announced plans to record an album, which he predicts will be released in 2007.’
Bain said the move to Europe was ‘mainly because he will be more accessible
there for meetings with people in the music business’.
Jackson is currently in Ireland on ‘personal business’ and proceeding with
plans to relocate.