Sony is set to buy out the Michael Jackson estate’s half stake in the Sony/ATV song catalogue for $750 million. The total “includes a lump sum payment by SCA of approximately $733 million as well as distributions previously committed to by Sony/ATV to be paid to the Estate,” according to the statement from the Sony Corporation. The payment also reflects certain contractual and accounting adjustments related to the Sony/ATV joint venture and other commercial opportunities involving Sony and Jackson’s estate. 

Jackson purchased ATV, which is home to many of the Beatles’ best publishing copyrights, in 1985 for $47.5 million, despite some thinking that he was overpaying for it. In 1995, Jackson merged the business with Sony’s music publishing arm to form Sony/ATV. The “Thriller” singer died on June 25, 2009, at age 50, and earned more than any other entertainer either dead or alive in the first five years after his passing. It is estimated that he earned a net worth of $750 million during his lifetime, and it is believed that he has earned over $100 million every calendar year since his death.

Source: The Wrap