This is it or at least the beginning of it. Sony Music announced on Wednesday that on Oct. 12 it will release the single "This Is It," the first of what promises to be an onslaught of posthumous Michael Jackson songs, followed by a full two-disc album, Michael Jackson's This Is It, supposedly "inspired" by the Sony film of the same name. The album will be out internationally on Oct. 26 and in the U.S. on Oct. 27, a day before the worldwide release of the movie.
From Elvis Presley to Tupac Shakur, posthumously released music has long been a record industry staple, and with good reason: death sells. Tupac has had five Top 10 albums since his shooting death in 1996, while the Elvis catalog is among the most valuable assets in entertainment. Of course, most music bearing the description "previously unreleased" was kept in a storage locker for a reason. But the words still have a seductive power for fans who are desperate for a little more music from a departed favorite and for record labels that are looking for one (or more) final cash cow.
From Elvis Presley to Tupac Shakur, posthumously released music has long been a record industry staple, and with good reason: death sells. Tupac has had five Top 10 albums since his shooting death in 1996, while the Elvis catalog is among the most valuable assets in entertainment. Of course, most music bearing the description "previously unreleased" was kept in a storage locker for a reason. But the words still have a seductive power for fans who are desperate for a little more music from a departed favorite and for record labels that are looking for one (or more) final cash cow.
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