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Is Michael Jackson still marketable?
( 2001-06-25 11:01 ) (7 )

Does Michael Jackson still have it?

The company behind a new push to sell the self-styled ``King of Pop'' is betting fans will ignore the lurid headlines of the last decade and flock to buy his new album and all kinds of tchochkes imprinted with Jackson's name and image.

But some in the licensing and music industries think it will be a struggle for ``Michael'' to regain the luster that had him towering over teen stardom during the Reagan years.

In the short-lived world of pop, you are either hot or not, and insiders say backing Jackson to make a big U.S. chart comeback is a gamble -- though the payoff could be megabucks.

Retail sales for products featuring Backstreet Boys totaled $250 million last year, and aging rockers KISS claim to have made $500 million in sales and convention tickets last year, according to the trade magazine License!

But the business can be fickle. The company that won the exclusive rights to Ricky Martin products paid $9 million upfront in 1999, License! said. Last year the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as Martin mania fizzled.

Earlier in June, Frankfurt-based MJ-Net Entertainment AG set up a booth at the Licensing International 2000 trade show in New York to sell Jackson's name and image.

``Here is an artist who has been known to three generations,'' said Harald Neidhardt, a consultant to MJ-Net who is helping the company set up an office in New York. ``Michael is very involved in the right designs, he particularly likes the technical part of it.''

MAKE OR BREAK TIME

Critics doubt new fans will embrace Jackson, who will be 43 in August, given the focus on his checkered personal life.

``He's got a long way to go,'' said Alan Light, editor-in-chief of Spin magazine. ``He could turn it around, but it's been so long and the focus has been on nothing but the controversy and the freak show.

Jackson's personal life has been the stuff of tabloids, including his marriage and divorce from Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, and the unconventional relationship with his second wife, Debbie Rowe -- she did not live with Jackson and their children -- and the marriage also ended in divorce.

His penchant for wearing a surgical mask has elicited whispers about plastic surgery and in 1993, he was sued for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy. The suit was settled out of court for a reported $15 million and Jackson, who denied any wrongdoing, was never charged with a crime.

``When you only think of the crazy stuff, it takes a lot to recapture what you had,'' Light told Reuters. ``He has an enormous uphill struggle, though I never say never, as his fame is so enormous.''

Jackson's new album, tentatively called ``Invincible,'' has been delayed several times in the past year, and many in the music industry believe it is make-or-break time.

In the years since his 1982 landmark album ``Thriller,'' which has sold 51 million copies to date, a new generation of kids has grown up with their own pop icons like Britney Spears and 'NSYNC, for whom Jackson might as well be Glenn Miller. For them, Jackson's trademark moonwalk dance and sequined glove are as relevant as Jimi Hendrix' bandana or Mick Jagger's pout.

Light said the chances of Jackson making a licensing killing were slim given his limited recent chart successes. His last original album, 1991's ``Dangerous,'' had mixed success, by his standard, with sales of 27 million, and the heralded 1995 compilation ``HIStory'' sold a disappointing 15 million worldwide.

``But it's hard to absolutely count out someone with the talent and name recognition of Michael Jackson. Everyone is curious about his next step, if it's a great record, people will respond.''

ASIA BIG JACKSON MARKET

In addition to the traditional collectibles and toys and books and T-shirts, Neidhardt said MJ-Net had signed deals for interactive and Internet products.

The company, which signed exclusive licensing rights with Jackson in January, is also opening a Singapore office to capture Asia's still strong fascination with Jackson.

Among items are card-thin loudspeakers for the stereo or the laptop with pictures of Jackson and P-card -- a club card which will eventually become a bank credit or debit card. There's also Cardmine -- which will send fans paper cards containing photos of Jackson's shows direct from the Internet.

The MYMJ.TV Web site will have streaming video and for a subscription, fans will get video images of ``the gloved one.''

Kristine de Haseth, who worked to sell Jackson with his former licensing company Sony Signatures, said even four years ago, the company focused almost all of its efforts on Asia and Europe.

``Despite all the problems with his personal life, he was still very, very big over there,'' de Haseth said. One of the strongest areas for licensing Jackson products then was in France, she said.

Bob Scally, a License! senior editor said: ``He must have something up his sequined sleeve. For all the weird things, I wouldn't count him out. The man still has a tremendous following worldwide.

``It helps if the name is a hot commodity, there are trends in licensing and one is the fad. For example, the Spice Girls, where are they now?'' said Scally.

Matt Hautau, of Signatures Network, which previously had Jackson's licensing rights since 1994, said the reclusive singer had been quiet recently.

``There's been no real action for the last couple of years, but there is good buzz on the new album and hopefully he can jump right back on top.''