Michael Jackson’s estate is pushing back against an auction house selling unreleased music from the late pop icon. Gotta Have Rock and Roll is auctioning cassette tapes featuring never-before-heard MJ songs, but the estate has condemned the sale, calling it a “sad attempt” to mislead the public.
The auction features two cassette tapes containing 12 unreleased Michael Jackson tracks recorded in the late 1980s and early ’90s, before his Dangerous album, according to TMZ.
Gotta Have Rock and Roll has set the starting bid at $85,000, expecting the final sale to reach between $150,000 and $200,000.
RELATED STORIES
However, Jackson’s estate argues that the tapes are merely copies of the original master recordings, which they own, meaning the buyer will have no rights to reproduce or publicly play the music.
The estate dismissed the auction, calling cassette tapes a “long-outdated format.” In response, Gotta Have Rock and Roll president Dylan Kosinski argued that the tapes are even more valuable because they cannot be reproduced or publicly released.
READ ALSO: 4-year-old thriving after accidentally shooting herself in the eye with dad’s gun: ‘She’s a miracle’
He added that the estate keeping the master recordings locked away only increases the significance of the sale.
The unreleased Michael Jackson songs were recorded with producer Bryan Loren, who provided copies to the auction consigner.
Despite objections from Jackson’s estate, Gotta Have Rock and Roll is moving forward with the sale, with bidding opening Wednesday at 9 AM ET.
