Michael Jackson: Can this career be salvaged?

Can this career be salvaged?

By David Barton -- Bee Staff Writer

So, where does he go now?

Michael Jackson has been judged not guilty in court, but he now faces
a much tougher jury: public opinion. And he was having a tough time in
that venue for years before his arrest and trial.

Jackson's career has been in steep decline since the glory days of
1982's "Thriller," which, with 26 million copies sold, is the
best-selling non-compilation album in U.S. history. Since then, each
new album has sold fewer than the last, with 2001's "Invincible" being
particularly poorly named. It posted barely more than 2 million in
worldwide sales - acceptable for most artists, but not Michael
Jackson.

Following Monday's verdict, there's a rough consensus among industry
insiders from radio, concert promotion, print and television: If he
wants to revive his musical career, there's only one way to go.

Hit the road, Jacko.

For some, that means he should head for Europe, where he has remained
a huge star and where he has toured more successfully in the past. For
others, that means finally undertaking a real U.S. tour, something he
hasn't done since 1988.

Bob Merlis started his career as a major-label publicist in 1969, the
same year Jackson started his.

"You just can't be assured of a hit record," Merlis says. "But you can
be assured of a significant number of people wanting to see him
perform. After all, he's only 46, and James Brown was still pretty
amazing live when he was 46."

True, but Brown, Jackson's role model and an entertainer known as "the
hardest-working man in showbiz," hasn't left the road for half a
century. By contrast, Jackson's last full tour of any kind was
overseas in 1997.

Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni calls a U.S. tour "fairly risky" for
Jackson and suggests an overseas tour instead. He also notes that,
while Jackson could get back in form, "he doesn't look like he's in
any shape to go do a stage show, and he's known for doing lavish shows
that would take a lot of rehearsal and preparation."

Melinda Newman, West Coast bureau chief for Billboard magazine, agrees
with the Euro-strategy.

"If I were him, I would not think about the U.S. right now," she says.
"If he were looking at a comeback, he should do Asia and Europe, build
a story and bring back some success."

But, she adds, it has been so long since Jackson has had any kind of a
hit - his last was the 1993 ballad "Will You Be There" - that it all
comes down to getting one.

"It all depends on if he can come up with a song," she says. "He
should try to make the best pop record he can make."

Bob Burke, the vice president and managing director of the radio and
record trade journal FMQB, agrees, although he calls Jackson "a
nonfactor in pop radio." And he doesn't see that changing, even though
he says "Invincible" was a better record than it was given credit for.

"I think his road back will be a concert tour," he says. "Or, there's
the rumor that Steve Wynn offered him a casino gig (in Las Vegas) like
Celine Dion has, and that might not be a bad idea. Have people come to
him, and that way people can measure. If it sold out for a year,
there's a barometer."

Another barometer, though just an overnight one, was the amazing
numbers Amazon.com reported for sales of Jackson's catalog of records
after the verdict. On the site's Movers and Shakers list, which shows
albums with the greatest gains in sales, Jackson suddenly held four of
the top five spots. Sales of "Off the Wall" jumped from No. 4,060 to
No. 132.

Beth Massa, managing editor of music for Amazon.com, says that "it's
not surprising to see sales jump when there's a media blitz. We see it
all the time, as when someone dies."

But, she adds, "We knew they'd jump, but I'm surprised to see how much
they've jumped."

She speculates that the increase isn't due so much to a "sympathy
vote" from established fans, but from people seeing film clips of
performances from Jackson's heyday.

"I think people are ... being reminded how hypnotic and charismatic a
performer he was."

And, she says, "At his best, he is irresistible, so if he makes a good
record, it'll be one of the best out there, and people will buy it."

But the memories of Jackson in his heyday contrast with the images of
him outside the courthouse. Whether people can reconcile the two is
for now a mystery to those in the business that Jackson once ruled.

Says FMQB's Burke: "He's one of my very favorite artists; I grew up
listening to him, but I'm on the fence. For now, I choose to remember
how he was rather than how he is."

Carolyn Baker remembers how Jackson was from very early on. She first
met him when she booked the Jackson 5 as guests on the Dinah Shore
show; Jackson was 12. As an industry veteran, Baker ran into him over
the years. At times, she says, "he would come into a party and get up
under my arm. ... His reaction to me was sort of like a mother."

Interestingly, Baker, who is also an actress, ended up playing
Jackson's mother, Katherine, in the E! re-enactments of the trial. So
she saw every day of the trial, up close and very personal.

Asked about Jackson's career, she says plainly, "I don't think he has
a career. They couldn't put a tour together for him before the trial.
His career was already over.

"The kids who buy albums don't care about Michael Jackson, and the
older fans - Michael's fans are over 30 - have sons and daughters and
nieces and nephews, and ... he's branded."

At this point, Baker, whose feelings about Jackson are complex, says
the only important thing should be Jackson's life, not his career.

"He'll never be Michael Jackson, King of Pop," she says. "But maybe
this trial allowed Michael to really be the 'Man in the Mirror' and
see himself, and he can succeed in becoming a balanced emotional
person.

"Fans are an illusion, and he has lived in an illusion since he was a
child. He has to find reality. I don't think he's got a superstar
comeback. I hope he can be a superstar as a human being."

TOP FIVE ALBUMS SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES
1. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 - Eagles

2. Thriller - Michael Jackson

3. The Wall - Pink Floyd

4. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin

5. Greatest Hits Volumes I & II - Billy Joel

Source: Recording Industry Association of America

http://www.sacticket.com/music/story...13913419c.html


===
"In the future, my private life will be expressed solely through art."
-- Britney Spears

"Ablang" wrote in message
...
Can this career be salvaged?


Oh dear God I hope not.

I'd say after this trial his carreer is already quite savage...wouldn't
you?

Record sales are already rising. So the answer is YES.