By now, you know that the King of Pop has passed on. One’s fame is directly proportional to how fast people will learn the intimate details of your life, or death, as the case may be, so the news traveled quickly. The folder of Michael Jackson songs on my hard drive is once again seeing use, and people have been coming into the library looking for something, anything, about MJ. It’s strange how a person who, in life, was reduced to little more than a punch line is suddenly revered in death.
Where celebrity meets mortality, there is eBay.
When Steve Irwin died, the gulf between his collectability before and after death was cavernous. A doll that didn’t sell for $18 on Monday was selling for over $350 on Wednesday. Sellers immediately pulled their Irwin auctions so that they could relist them at inflated prices.
While Irwin’s fame was perhaps C-level at best, MJ’s ascent towards collectability has always existed, and has been on a fairly constant climb since his self-imposed isolation began years ago, soon after his unconventional relationships with children were explored. When you offer less of yourself to your adoring public, the demand increases. You become a modern deity. Your signature becomes evidence of the hand of god.
Why people grieve with money is another issue entirely, but it happens. We all express ourselves differently, and I’m not here to question that. It’s the vultures, those resellers whose businesses are predicated on death and injury, who make their appearance now. Yes, we’re in a bad economy and people need to make a living, but it’s endlessly profitable to pinpoint which celebrities are in failing health, scoop up as much of them as you can on eBay, and wait for the inevitable. After losing two different sources of income over the past 2 months, don’t be surprised if you see me stalking Hollywood with a pen and a baseball bat soon.
Of course, there are also those people who buy stuff immediately after a celebrity’s death in the hopes that the value will Increase – much like the people who went out and bought comics when they read that Captain America died. Too late, fellas. Things tend to peak in the few days immediately following a tragedy. By the time your signed 8 x 10 arrives in the mail, it’ll be worth less than what you paid for it. Mourning does not age like wine.
Most telling is this MJ coin. Manufactured by a no-name company in China, and not even licensed, it failed to sell for a mere $7 on June 23rd, and multiple times before that. On June 26th, the closing bid hit over $117. This seller definitely doesn’t fall under the ‘vulture’ category, as it’s an item that was already listed on eBay before MJ’s death, they certainly lucked into a killer sale.
While general memorabilia are selling strong, it’s signed items that remain the truly powerful sellers after a death strikes. People can always print up another poster, but the quantity of celebrity X’s signatures has just become finite.
Amazon’s top 16 albums, as of this writing, are all Michael Jackson albums, pushing Regina Spektor and Wilco into the high teens, with more MJ albums peppering the rest of the countdown also. I’d presume that illegal downloads also skyrocketed during these past 24 hours.
Interestingly, this spells interesting things for Beatles collectors also. Upon MJ’s death, the rights to every Beatles song that he owned reverted back to Paul McCartney. As a Rock Band fanatic, I have to wonder if this sudden change in song rights will affect the release date of Rock Band : Beatles, currently scheduled for September. Death doesn’t need to be more complicated.
An strange man with a stranger life – but what artist isn’t? Thanks for everything.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:20 AM
Collin, thanks for another well-written, timely article! I believe he was one of the most incredibly talented entertainers that will ever pass our way. I sat with my mouth open, in absolute awe of his dancing capabilities – how does he DO that? I have 3 of his albums, including Thriller, which just rocked. Even though I am ‘older than dirt’, per my grandkids (yuck, yuck), I was a fan. Oh, NOT of the man. But that is another story. But of the little kid who sang Ben, Got to Be There, etc. And on through the early years. I found it very interesting about the Beatles collection reverting to Paul McCartney. Well done, Val
June 27th, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Why do you say “reverted back to Paul McCartney”? Is that a clause in the contracs? Because those are corporate assets. My understanding is Sony owns them now, because Michael used them as collateral for loans to cover his astronomical debts with them. Reports are that MJ died owing as much as $500 million to various creditors. There’s also umpteen pending lawsuits against him (and by him). Unraveling that estate is going to be the law case of the century, I think. But Northern Songs? I don’t think they’re Paul’s now, I think they’re Sony’s — or the estate’s executors. We should have a firm answer in about twenty years!
June 27th, 2009 at 3:05 PM
It was, as I heard it reported by Kieth Olbermann, a clause in MJ’s will – that the portion of songs owned by MJ would immediately be granted back to Paul McCartney.
Of course, I’m sure it’s more complicated that that, but at the end of it, the most important catalogue of rock music on the face of the planet is gonna get shaken up! What it means for properties that are currently using the songs, I’m no lawyer – but like you said, it’ll be quite a case!