Death Is Good for Business | 1 of 10
Carl DeSouza/AFP
Michael Jackson, March 5, 2009
Death Is Good for Business
Michael Jackson, 2009
Dying is the best career move an artist can make. It's harsh but true. Just as news agencies keep a filing cabinet of obits on hand in case someone drops, record companies regularly look for ways to breathe new life into dead stars. An artist who was merely popular while alive can go into eternal pop-culture orbit as a deified deceased star. In the two days after Michael Jackson's death, his music accounted for 60% of all sales on Amazon. As of this writing, Jackson holds the Top 10 songs and Top 5 albums spots on iTunes. Death is big business.
Michael will undoubtedly become immortalized now that he's moonwalked away. He'll also become a multi-million dollar industry. Sensing the circling vultures, Jackson's mother, Katherine, has already filed court papers to gain control of her son's estate. Hopefully, she'll manage the money better than he did.
Here are some other artists whose careers benefitted from their deaths. Warning: do not try this at home. Your results may not be the same.
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On Celebrity Reality TV Trainwrecks...
Chopergirl said "I have always loved her. She has been a very good part of entertainment - I remember when she was in Roots. AND then CHEERS, and then the talking babies with John Travolta. My gosh, we all have problems, and with those come stress eating at times...She is beautiful regardless of what she weighs, and not only physically beautiful, but also beautiful inside. She has had her heart broke just like the rest of us, and struggles like the rest of us....to bad people expect her to be perfect as that is what imperfect people like to see - someone perfect to make them feel better. Projecting their OWN disappointment onto others, in some sick way, makes them feel a little better. That is a terrible post about her. I will watch her show."
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Sardonica said "How is she anymore a train wreck than ANY body else, celebrity or not? We all have our issues. She is at least trying to better herself, not trash those around her, or laugh at the misfortunes of others. You're as bad as Perez. YOU are the one that needs to get a life, not her. "
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On Oprah's Love Couch Confessionals...ratt said "Don't the people who read this crap have anything at all better to worry about? Is it REALLY any of your concern what this movie star or that musician is up to in their personal lives? Did any of you useless tabloid bottom feeding twats notice that I used the word PERSONAL? Not likely, because the people that read this stuff don't think anyone has a life that they can't have access to. A word for those who have nothing better to do than concern themselves about others in the spotlight... pathetic."
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On Bitter Celebrity Custody Battles...jesslisby said "rynn phillips needs to get over his self...he is the one whom made his own problems. mabye if he kept his pants on and didn't treat his wife at the time with such disregaurd, he might still have full custody of his children, and a wonderful wife..look what you traded down for. but bravo to reese...look who she traded up for."
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