Michael Jackson estate takes control of Sly and Family Stone catalog
Michael Jackson’s estate now has the rights to one of the greatest catalogs in Bay Area music history — that of Sly and the Family Stone.
The estate and Jackson’s publishing company, MIJAC Music, has reached an agreement with Sly Stone (whose real name is Sylvester Stewart) to “acquire a majority ownership of the U.S. rights to the Sly and the Family Stone catalog and, as part of the arrangement, will retain long-term administration rights,” according to a news release.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Thank You Mijac (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” Sly Stone reportedly said at the signing of the agreement, referencing his 1969 song “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
Stone, rarely seen in public in recent years, was embroiled in a lengthy legal war with his longtime manager Jerry Goldstein earlier this decade over Stone’s claim that he had been cheated out of millions of dollars in royalties. Last year, a company called Primary Wave Music Publishing claimed it had acquired a share of Sly and the Family Stone’s catalog, although Jackson’s estate insisted the claim was false.
The songbook of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act, which formed in the Bay Area in 1966, also includes such popular songs as “Family Affair,” “Dance to the Music,” “Everybody Is a Star,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “Everyday People.” Jackson’s estate has long owned the copyright for the catalog outside the U.S.
“Sly and the Family Stone were a force for enlightenment and positive change, a message that Michael believed in,” said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of Jackson estate, said in a statement. “He recognized Stewart’s genius and the power of his words and music, which is why he first acquired the catalog and why we at MIJAC follow in Michael’s footsteps today.”
MIJAC Music was created in 1980 by Michael Jackson as his personal publishing company. Besides controlling the rights to Jackson’s own hits, the MIJAC catalog includes music from such musical icons as Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, according to the news release.