List organizatorów do fanów MJa
Thank you for the opportunity to send a message to Michael’s fans though your club. I know the fans have a number of concerns, most of which were highlighted in Mr Weitzman’s open letter to Chris Hunt. Others have come to the fore since, and I will discuss these also. I have been talking to a number of fan club presidents, and although the emphasis has been different, the core issues are clear.
Equally, our endeavours are clear also: We are presenting the Jackson family tribute to Michael. We have artists of international stature, or with meaningful links to Michael’s music, or both. Together with Christina Aguilera, Ne-Yo and Cee Lo Green, we have performers who have sympathetically and successfully presented Michael’s material – Craig David, Alien Ant Farm. We have young stars who humbly acknowledge inspiration by Michael; JLS, Leona Lewis, Pixie Lott, and Motown legends Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight who in turn inspired Michael. Attending are Mrs Jackson and the children, siblings La Toya, Tito, Marlon and Jackie, and nephews Siggy, Taj, Taryll and TJ. Ron Weisner, Michael’s ex manager, is the creative producer, ensuring the presentation and performances are of Michael. Kevin Dorsey, who worked with Michael on tours Bad, Dangerous and History, is the Musical Director, working with band and singers to recreate Michael’s exact vision. We have band members of whom every one has played for Michael, either on tour or in the studio. Rehearsals have started in Los Angeles, and the vibe is one of purity of performance and responsibility to the musical legacy.
Michael Forever is the only multi-artist, family led, pure Michael tribute that will ever take place, so put aside your doubts, understand that artists and professionals of this calibre would not associate themselves with anything that was untrue to Michael, accept that we are dealing with your concerns where possible, and join us in honouring one of the world’s greatest ever musical performers while you still can.
We understand your concerns and we are addressing your worries, in the following ways:
The Estate
We have the greatest respect for the estate, the work it does continuing Michael’s legacy and the rights it owns. Until now we have been working in parallel with the estate, licencing available rights to present the show, but still working on the creative for it. The estate has not endorsed Michael Forever, and with the rights we have available, we have not sought or required such endorsement. Now that rehearsals have started, and we have a clearer idea of the shape of the event, we are preparing to reach out to the estate and seek commercial terms to licence certain rights owned by them we have identified as desirable.
The Trial
The timing is unfortunate. When we scheduled the concert in April the trial was due to start in June. It may move again yet. It may be over very quickly, or it may delay again. We believe, and the family believes, that a positive presentation of Michael’s musical genius can only be a good reminder of how great a loss was the loss of him.
Katherine Jackson
Michael’s mother chooses to honour her son. That’s it. Michael worshipped his mother and was very close to La Toya. His fans should respect that bond, and not post such unpleasantness that Taj feels he must publicly protect his grandmother on the web. No true fan of Michael would dishonour Mrs Jackson. Those that do are not deserving of anything other than our disappointment with their actions. The trust fund GLE set up in the children’s name and administered by Katherine is our contribution to the family legacy. It was done openly, honourably and with our best intentions.
Other issues
Please remember that the British consumer has a huge amount of protection in English law, and the Event Terms and Conditions are written for insurers, and ours are less onerous than most others. Here’s the clause from the Glastonbury festival: “2. The artist and performer line-up and all billed attractions may be subject to change at any time without notice”. All purchasers also receive the standard protection offered by their credit card companies. You will see a great show, with exclusively Michael’s music performed by first class acts. The bill is still being added to, but the essence will always be Michael and his genius.
I hope these answers go some way towards explaining our position. We have a tribute worthy of Michael, presented by people passionate and dedicated to doing it right, to his family who loved him, performed by those who were inspired by him or inspired him, those who performed alongside him. We have further important announcements to make in the next few days that will prove beyond doubt that Michael Forever will be the purest most focused Michael tribute ever.
Thank you for reading
Andy Picheta
Producer GLE
w skrócie:
- na koncercie pojawią się wykonawcy, mający wiele wspólnego z muzyką Michaela - na czele z Christiną Aguilerą, Ne-Yo i Cee Lo Green; pojawią się wykonawcy, którzy z powodzeniem prezentowali covery Michaela - Craig David, Alien Ant Farm; będą młodzi wykonawcy, czerpiący inspirację z MJa: JLS, Leona Lewis, Pixie Lott; będą legendy Motown: Smokey Robinson i Gladys Knight;
- będzie pani Jackson, Dzieci Michaela, rodzeństwo: La Toya, Tito, Marlon i Jackie; będą bratankowie Siggy, Taj, Taryll i TJ;
- przy produkcji pracują: były manager MJa - Ron Weisner, Kevin Doesey, który pracował z MJem przy okazji tras Bad, Dangerous i HIStory; każdy z muzyków również grał z MJ'em;
- ad Estate: dopiero teraz wizja przedsięwzięcia nabiera kształtu, dlatego będziemy starać się o konieczne licencje i prawa autorskie (czego nie robiliśmy wcześniej, bo nie było takiej potrzeby)
- ad proces Murray'a: termin nie jest trafiony; koncert planowaliśmy w kwietniu, wtedy sprawa miała się rozpocząć w czerwcu; wraz z rodziną wierzymy, że zaprezentowanie geniuszu Michaela w pozytywnym świetle może tylko podkreślić, jak wielką stratą była Jego śmierć
- ad Katherine Jackson: mama MJa postanowiła uczcić pamięć swojego syna.
Michael uwielbiał swoją matkę i był bardzo związany z La Toyą. Jego fani powinni uszanować tę więź i nie publikować tak nieprzyjemnych komentarzy, by wymagały one interwencji ze strony Taja, który musi w Internecie bronić imienia swojej babci. Żaden prawdziwy fan Michaela nie może nie szanować pani Jackson.
- ad inne sprawy: prawo brytyjskie chroni nabywców biletów - zapisy prawne są standardowymi i nie ma co się nimi martwić.
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