Michael Jackson Record Label: Who Was He Signed To? 2024 Deal Info & Past Contracts

Curious about what record label Michael Jackson is signed to?

Want to know all about past deals, releases, net worth, and Michael Jackson masters ownership? 

Perfect; you're in the right place!

In this post, we are exploring all of that and more, so scroll on 🙂 …

Who was Michael Jackson Signed To?

MJJ Productions

Michael Jackson founded MJJ Productions, his own music studio. It is a record company linked to Michael Jackson's production company, MJJ Productions Inc. This hologram serves as the album labels for Michael's albums (from 1991 to 2001).

The Company handled Michael's financial and economic affairs; at the moment, his brother Randy Jackson is in charge of the label.

Artist Background: Michael Jackson's Previous Record Labels & Contracts

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Michael was first a member of the Jackson 5. They were signed to Motown Music Label. Michael changed during this time from a young performer to a teen hero.

He put out four solo studio albums through Motown between 1972 and 1975: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975). His first two solo albums' title songs, “Got to Be There” and “Ben,” as well as a cover of Bobby Day's “Rockin' Robin,” both went well as singles.

The Jackson 5 quit Motown in 1975, switching their name to the Jacksons and signing with Epic Records. Around this time, their younger brother Randy joined the group while Jermaine remained with Motown and focused on his solo career.

Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), helped him transition from the bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds and established him as a solo performer.

Jackson beat Neil Diamond's contract renewal with Columbia Records in March 1991 by signing a record-breaking $65 million (or $129,317,127 in 2021) extension with Sony.

Awards: Michael Jackson's Achievements

Jackson is one of the best-selling musicians in music history, with 400 million to one billion dollars in sales, according to various estimates. More than any other male performer during the Hot 100 era, Jackson had 13 number-one singles in the US throughout his solo career.

He is regarded by the RIAA as the most successful musician who has ever lived. Three times, a US president invited him to the White House and gave him an honor.

Ronald Reagan presented him with a “Presidential Public Safety Commendation” award in 1984 in recognition of his humanitarian work. He was named “Artist of the Decade” by George H. W. Bush in 1990.

He was recognized by Bush in 1992 as a “Point of Light Ambassador” for bringing underprivileged kids to his Neverland Ranch.

More accolades than any other well-known music recording artist, he received hundreds. His honors include a record 26 American Music Awards, including “Artist of the Century” and “Artist of the 1980s,” 39 Guinness World Records, including “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time,” 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He also won the Bambi Pop Artist of the Millennium Award and the Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium at the World Music Awards.
As a member of The Jackson 5 from 1997 to 1999 and again as a solo performer in 2001, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. He became the first recording artist to be admitted to the Dance Hall of Fame in 2010, and he was posthumously admitted to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014.

He was one of the first people to be inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2021. He was given an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Fisk University in 1988. The Lunar Republic Society gave Jackson a lunar crater in July 2009.

For what would have been Jackson's 51st birthday in August, Google created a Google Doodle in his honor. Michael Jackson's name was given to an extinct hermit crab in 2012, Mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni.

According to the British Council on Cultural Relations, one of the 80 most significant cultural moments of the 20th century occurred during Jackson's lifetime in 2014.

Jackson suffered from an autoimmune ailment, and June 25 has been designated as World Vitiligo Day to raise awareness of the condition.

How Did Michael Jackson Get Famous?

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The Jackson 5 produced numerous songs for the Gary record company Steeltown Records while Michael Jackson was still a member of the group; their first single, “Big Boy,” was released in 1968.

The Jackson 5 opened for Bobby Taylor at Chicago's Regal Theater in 1968, and Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers got them to Motown. Some of their early Motown tracks, including a rendition of “Who's Lovin' You,” were produced by Taylor.

The Jackson family migrated to Los Angeles after signing with Motown. The Jackson 5 were regarded as Motown's final “production line” product when executives at the label decided Diana Ross should unveil them to the public in 1969, partially to advance her television career.

The Jackson family relocated to a sizable home in Hayvenhurst, a two-acre estate in Encino, California, in May 1971. From then on, his career took off, first as a part of the band and later on as a solo artist.

Did Michael Jackson Write His Own Songs?

He wrote more than 150 songs in all, with more than 20 of them receiving millions of plays on American radio and television. Since his meteoric rise to fame in 1969 as the charismatic lead vocalist of the Jackson Five, Jackson has come a long way.

After the Jacksons left Motown in 1975, Michael started to exert an unprecedented level of control over his musical and professional endeavors. With his 1979 album Off the Wall, which began a long and fruitful collaboration with producer Quincy Jones and gave rise to the hits “Don't Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You,” Jackson enjoyed significant solo success.

Those songs offered a taste of the distinctive rock/soul fusion that Jackson would later explore in greater detail on his 1983 blockbuster album Thriller.

What is Michael Jackson's Net Worth?

Though he passed away in 2009, Michael Jackson continues to be one of the highest-earning celebrities in the world. According to Forbes, Jackson's estate generated $825 million in 2016, the highest sum ever recorded for a celebrity.

The majority of this revenue came from the sale of Jackson's Sony/ATV repertoire, but his posthumous profits have reached $2.4 billion when they reached over $100 million for the seventh consecutive year after his passing.

As a result, Jackson has constantly been ranked among the highest-earning deceased celebrities by Forbes, holding the top slot from 2013 to 2020. Projections show that Jackson's net worth will reach $600 million by 2022.

Other Artists Signed To MJJ Productions

Other artists signed to MJJ Productions are 3T
, Brownstone, The Jason Bonham Band, Men Of Vizion, No Authority
, Quo, Tatyana Ali, and Rebbie Jackson are MJJ Music's other artists.

Did Michael Jackson Own His Masters?

While many people assume that the estate of Michael Jackson owns his masters, that is actually not the case. The master recordings and songwriting rights to Michael Jackson are owned by Mijac Music, which is still in the hands of the Jackson family.

In a deal worth about $750 million in September 2016, Sony bought the Jackson estate's share in Sony/ATV. However, Sony does not own the masters outright – they are merely licensing them from Mijac Music. This means that the Jacksons still have control over how Michael's music is used and distributed, and they are able to generate income from his catalogue.

Given the recent trends in the music industry, it is likely that the Jackson family will continue to profit from Michael's legacy for many years to come.

The Wrap Up

There you have it!

I'm curious, was that what you expected from Michael Jackson? Let me know in the comment section…

Record labels can be very complicated, and there are so many different types of record deals and contracts to be aware of. If you are an artist yourself, exploring possible options for your career, you might wanna check out our example record deal contracts to stay in the know – record label scams are rampant these days, sadly.

You might also like to check out the contract status of these other prominent artists:

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