I Served As An Expert Witness When Quincy Jones Sued the Estate of Michael Jackson.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Since "Thriller" has been in the news, I thought I'd publish here my experience as an expert witness back in 2017 in the case of Quincy Jones versus the estate of Michael Jackson.
As you'll hear, part of what I did was arrange for a very good stereo to be brought into the courtroom to play for the jury the original "Bad" CD versus the "smashed" 30th Anniversary edition.
Ultimately, while Q won the case, parts were tossed on appeal (because the judge ruled that that the jury misinterpreted the contract, which the judge said was the trial judge's job) and the judgement was reduced from $9.2 million to $2.5 million.
Still, not a bad outcome......
![Chlöe - Shake (Feat. Jeremih) [Official Visualizer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aDs_1ufpfv8/mqdefault.jpg)
![MISSING: SLIM SHADY [Expanded Mourner’s Edition Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xh8qgHrOO1g/mqdefault.jpg)
i’m a classical violinist, playing a powerful, acoustic instrument in a great symphonic orchestra. the language you used to explain to a jury of untrained listeners was spot-on. in great music-regardless of the genre-the attack, the sustaining of a tone, the
timbre, the decay, the verve and sheer essence and three-dimensional nature of acoustic music (as can be faithfully captured on vinyl or reel-to-reel tape) can’t be truly matched with the technology of today, no matter how “sophisticated” it is. bravo, sir!
This was great storytelling! And as a recording engineer, I never thought I’d be excited to hear a recounting of someone’s courtroom testimony . . . Until now.
Great story!! Bad isn't my favorite MJ album, BUT it does sound amazing in it's original state. I had it on cassette and it sounded incredible. Swedien was a brilliant engineer.
MJ talked about this in a phone interview on his 50th birthday... Can't remember who did the interview sorry. It's a nice long interview.
Love hearing this , the MJ Estate only have Dollars in there eyes and no interest in giving any quality to keep Michael's legacy alive.
And I’ve a horrible feeling about John Branca. I do not trust that dude
Heartening to hear this story, of a defender of music quality, winning against corporate greed gaslighting the public. Kudos!
Dude!.....I'm SO glad you didn't go to Münich. That was awesome!
You sound like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie with your Texas accent. 😀 Nice job though recounting everything
I just played BAD again for the first time in years and listened out for the elements you pointed out (helicopter sound, etc). Thank you for helping me enhance my enjoyment in listening to it again.
I noticed the sound quality on my Apple Music service is terrible. They must be remixing songs before they publish to the site. Would love to know from the Experts how music service publish music to their site.
Exceptionally riveting! There was a time, brief as it was, that a coworker invited me to listen to a number of master recordings/pressings on their audiophile system. Having been weened on and thoroughly enjoyed the mix tapes made by friends who record songs straight from the radio on their Radio Shack and visibly greasy tape recorders, I did wonder if the sound quality would be improved by what the coworker owned. Oh, my gerd! The moment that the needle met the record, I started to cry. I had a full body experience of what can best be described as rapture. Well, and due to my economic status, I returned back to those mix tapes. At the very least, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing what was possible with sound. With an utmost certainty, sound quality does matter. 🌺
there were three Michaels in this story - Michael the expert witness, Michael the lawyer, and Michael Jackson.
Michael, you are a living embodiment of choosing work that you love so that you’re never “working” a day of your life. Such an enthralling storyteller. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.
YOuTube somehow succeeded in putting you up on my screen tonight and I found myself riveted. LOVE this kind of stuff. And I wish your basic testimony could have been weaponized to fight the lowering of industry standards over the years! When people get "the info" , and especially from someone like yourself, they CAN understand. And music is better and life is better. Subscribed!
Beautifully recounted, Michael. Yep, get the message to the jury and even if they're told to forget it ... they can't! Also, a reminder for all of us that when it comes to news reporting --- what's not reported about an incident is often just as important as what is reported. I can identify with that "knocked it out of the park feeling" as I am sure many of us can. Thanks for this!😊
Most used lies are does of omission. News networks are masters at it, they have fact checkers spend hours on what and how they can omit without being sued.
Sadly true, Robert. 👍
I’m dying to know…WHAT WAS the reason they thought “removing the testimony” was a tactic?
Was is just to not-do-nothing before sending their clients the invoice?
😂 I’m sorry, but the southern accent of the attorney immediately makes me think of a heavy set guy in a light colored suit with pants being held up by suspenders while dabbing the sweat from his brow.
Anyway, fantastic story and a shout out to great sounding, well mastered, dynamic music, with top notch sound quality. I’m certainly glad you got some say over the system brought into the court, and that you were able to play the music on said system and people actually noticed a real difference. Great story, Michael. Thanks 👍🔊😊🎶
Thank you for being present for this Super Important Trial ! You educated them on 3 Dimensional Sound Production in a way that surely will resonate with remix rights aprrovals for Years to Come !
Being on that jury woulda been the luckiest “jury duty pull” ever…
Great story, expertly and enjoyable recounted.
holy smokes - what a story! completely tells everything about the state of music in our times. you got a new sub also...
I’ve watched this video a few times now and each time its like watching it for the first time. Michael is so passionate in what he does, you can’t help but root for him.
Michael, they do it in order to destroy the music. Look at the garbage they offer up to the kids these days: Brick-walled compressed crap. This is done on purpose. It's NOT an accident and there is no such thing as a 'loudness war'. It's done above the mastering engineer, by the corporation, in the pressing process.
Every CD manufactured after 1995 has been 'louded', compressed, brick-walled in many cases, and clipped. It destroys the life and the emotion in the music. The loud tracks are the same volume level as the quiet ones. Just saying.
It's alsways something they do to destroy something.
Also, I guess it's what people want.. over compressed brick walled sompression. Also, things are not like they were when digital came along, and loudness other than shitty pop radio is over and has been for a while. Also... radio stations have been crushing what the average listener gets for decades, even classical stations. Until people stop listening mostly in cars, it won't stop...
Not every cd…. Perhaps from big acts & labels but there have been a helluva lot more released than those…
It really does seem like social engineering. Whenever I see a school shooting I think of the manipulation of culture those in charge of it have done for the last 40 years or so.
And the motive behind "destroying the music"?
Wow! I screamed whaaat too.🤣🤣 I’m glad people can see and realize that quality matters in mixing and mastering. Thank you. ☝🏾💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
This is the only time I know of when the Loudness War was an important part of a Legal Case. Thanks for being on our side. BTW - See, CD's can sound awesome when done right. I'm a huge fan of original unremastered CD's from 1982 to the mid-late 90s. Check out the early Pre-Emphasis CD's again (Abbey Road, The Wall, Thriller, Wish You Were Here, Born To Run, etc). I think you will be impressed now played on the newer CD players.
Hey I came across this video while doing a deep dive into raw track breakdowns from the Bad album. When I was a kid in the 90s, listening on CDs, I remember the horn section leaping out of my stereo into the room with me, on like pretty much every song on the album. I have heard that subsequent pressings don't sound that way, and it makes me really sad. I wish I hadn't worn out all my original CDs from playing them about a million times. I also remember listening to Thriller on vinyl for the first time circa 1994. I had never heard a record player before but my dad had one socked away and my new step brother found out I liked Michael Jackson. He pulled out his dusty copy of Thriller and put it on the turntable for me. I was completely blown away. My step brother let me keep the record, and I cherish it.
Michael i met you in person at the hi end show!!! You have so many things to share and so many knowledge!Why don’t you make a try to have your story’s on Netflix 🧨🧨
This case gets to the issue of recorded music and sonic manipulation. When you have people the caliber of Quincy Jones and Bruce Swieden, you’re dealing with wizards who know how to actually capture the soul essence of a performer. When you have an artist like MJ, then you have someone who knows how to bare their soul under the right circumstances. The original work is the capturing of the soul of Michael Jackson. It’s then sonically manipulated for maximum emotional capturing of the audience with a multilayered “experience”. Altering any of that voids the entire production. COMPLETELY. Your testimony as to how the remix ignored or decided to not take the time to keep those qualities in the reissue was devastating. So devastating in fact that it would set a legal precedent with far reaching and profound repercussions in the entertainment industry at large. That’s one reason I believe they wanted your testimony expunged. I can easily think of several others but I don’t know exactly what the case was about so I will stop here. The music business is a devils playground. Your response would be appreciated.
What you said is precisely correct. The sense that one perceives is largely on a subconscious, visceral level. It is hard to "define" but is as solid as a brick house. An artist either "Has It" or not. The production/recording qualities can also have a HUGE effect on the presentation of the Artistic Performance. It All Matters!!
You don’t know exactly what the case is about. You wrote a whole paragraph on it like you did . So you just wanted to talk about soul snatching through music?🤷🏾♂️
It’s just evil white supremacist at the top who has a disdain towards Michael Jackson and want to completely ruin his legacy that’s all
I just can't stop thinking about how lucky it is that MJ and Bruce Swedien made recordings together.
Absolutely fascinating ! Thanks for sharing... Glad the defense did not invoke a gag order so that this can not be discussed ever !
I was transported to the courtroom. Wonderful!
You are an amazing speaker, Michael - that had me gripped - just like the jury👍 Loving the new channel. Thank you👍
I'm 49 and no matter how hard I try I just to be positive about it, I just hate modern day music mixing/mastering. F... all that compression. A little is fine but it's way past that line. I'll spare you my oppinion on the sickening voice processing. Ps. Thank you for sharing this. I have the original vinyl :)
You knocked this one out of the park as well Michael. Thanks 😎
What a story Michael! I knew it would be outstanding, hence I poured a beer for the listen I knew would be interesting and entertaining and wasn't disappointed in the least. Thanks for recounting for us.
Thank you! If I could watch the entire court room episode, I would. I would LOVE to learn every single thing you taught that jury. I would also love to hear the versions of Bad in question. This was really great stuff.. Top notch video.
I just love when hifi shows up for the nonaudiophile.And when you show up to sell it.Rock on you crazy son of
A "Bad" account spoken in a riveting way. That was marvelous that you opened peoples ears so that they could hear what they had never heard before. I do this with my wife, who often just sees the dance in music. Dynamics are one of the most fundamentally important parts of music with drama. Great video.
Very Cool Story! I heard this from one of your interviews before but its always great to hear about how expert audiophiles can spread the message to civilians.
Rather than civilian I would have used the term "lay people".
Fascinating! Looking forward to your new channel and autobiography when published.
They wanted your testimony removed from the record so future law suits can't have access to it. They don't want you setting legal 'precedence'.
Good thing this video exists though :)
I watched this on your previous channel, and I enjoyed it just as much this time. Thanks, Michael!
When my son gave me the 25... I listened to it once and said the same thing. What did they do to this, it's horrible. My favorite mj album is off the wall. If they ever mess with that mix, I'll sue them myself.
"...Pitbull is a bad beer commercial..." Love it!
As a lawyer myself, you made the right decision to drop out. I wish I had your common sense.
😄
I’ve watched this a few times. Great story 👏🤘🏼
Michael, I'm so glad you put the truth out there that was so convincing, it was hard to ignore.
What's more, you got paid for doing the right thing!
Kudos to you, you did good.
That "bomp bomp bomp bomp, alomst started to sound like "Smoke on the Water". Good story, thanks.
What a fascinating story. I’m glad the stereo system was up to the test.
Being an attorney who has also been an expert witness I dismiss a lot of what I read about a trial in the newspapers. Reporters are pretty bad at reporting too often.
Michael, this was one of your best stories from AP and I'm glad you brought it up again. I cringe at how much dynamic compression is inflicted upon recorded music today. What kind of CD playback gear was used in the courtroom?
Loved seeing this, wish I could have been in the courtroom to experience it!!
Really enjoyed this story! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to RUclips’s algorithms this wins youtube today for me. FANTASTIC story and you have a new subscriber. Btw. TRON!?!??
Wow, I would pay to be in the courtroom when they hit play 😃 Great story, you had me hooked from start till stop 🎸🎶🎺😎
Great Video Mike. Nicely done. I've done my share of trial work and presenting experts. I would have LOVED to have watch your testimony.
Describing Pitbull music videos as "bad beer commercials" is perfect.
Such a great video! I was caught off guard at 13:08 because I actually watched this before eating dinner 😂
Seriously though, thanks for sharing this!
Hi Michael. What a story. I am in awe of your knowledge and expertise. Pretty clear to me how deep your knowledge is in sonic matters in audio... cd and vinyl dynamics. Thank you. It made my morning.
Thank you for sharing this experience! Super informative and anything having to do with Michael Jackson I pay FULL attention to 🤣💯
2:50 Mix vs remix plus equipment used on original mastering process
4:20 CD has been crush to death compared to vinyl and original CD.
6:25 / 7:20
High end audio system and teach jury
6:40 original CD ok
7:00 pit bull remix
7:35 hifi equipment
9:30 not gonna play the music, can’t take the chance the jury won’t hear it
10:00 soundstage and imagining
11:20 gonna do it
12:30 audio terms explained
15:30 Blumlein pairs on Bad
18:00 outcome
Thank you 🙏
But Quincy had little to do with producing Bad. It was largely produced by John Barnes and the so called B team. Quincy still demanded full producer credit just like he did for Billie Jean, even though the demo proves 90% of that song was produced by MJ himself. Quincy was overcredited and overpaid for the MJ albums, him demanding $9.2 million was ridiculous.
Bravo Michael, your BEST Presentation ever!
Pitbull won't recover from that total destruction, haha.
Wish it was possible to have the audio files in this video without getting hit with a copyright strike. Wouldn't mind hearing it.
That said, I can't say I blame the person in the rehearsal for not wanting to play the audio in the courtroom. I'd be really worried that the jury would interpret the remaster as being better because it's louder. Louder usually wins. Maybe not with a $30,000 pair of speakers though. Don't get to hear systems like that too often
I wonder how many of those jurors thought, “oh my god, I need to get a proper stereo”?
Fantastic story and telling Michael - sounds like you (and the system) blew some minds!
Well done, Sir!
I could see that whole courtroom in 3D as you were telling your story 🙂
Great Video, enjoyed listening to the explanations here!
Bad beer commercials Hahahahaha
Great Job, Love these stories.
When Michael mentioned this on the video of his listening room I was intrigued. What a fantastic story! Whatever your feelings about Michael Jackson and his music, great care was obviously taken to produce a great recording. Only to then be destroyed by money grabbing individuals with no sense of artistry and no morals. Thanks Mr Fremer!
What a GREAT story! Im so glad I found this channel. I will be watching all your content.
Devialet and Sabrina! Couldn't agree more with the pairing. Definitely an experience that one couldn't forget. Was in 2009 Singapore Hi End Audio show with a pair of Wilson MAXX 3, dual monos Goldmund Telos 5000 and triple dCS stack playing back Tchaikovsky 1812 SACD from Telarc. An unforgettable moment indeed.
They screwed Jackson, just like they screwed Elvis. The 2 combined, sold millions of records and in the end they sacrificed themselves of not losing it all. Continue your journey roaming the stars you 2.
Fascinating story! I always knew those mixes were magic, but I never knew they were _three-dimensional. 🤯 It’s been years since I’ve had access to a high fidelity system.
Where would a young musician of humble means gain access to mixing/mastering resources who respect the audio like Bruce Swedien?
Great story! Keep them coming! 🙂
There has to be an epilogue to this wonderful story. And that would be the jury on that day all became audiophiles. After their jury duty ended the memory of that experience created a baseline for the quality of sound they would come to expect from the audio systems and recordings that they bought in the future. They were transformed for the rest of their lives.
I love this story ! 👏
Never thought I would hear a mention of Yes in this video!
Quincy Jones is a brilliant producer / artist. You can't deny. He ruined my career when he sued my band in 1980. The name of the band was Quincy (Columbia Records) and I guess he was threatened by that. Nice guy.
Like he’s the only person named Quincy in the world. 😒 Quincy is brilliant, as you said, but not surprised he did that to you.
MJ tried to tell Quincy that he had health issues; Q (as MJ called him) said it was BS to MJ’s face and publicly after MJ’s death. MJ had Lupus and significant scarring of the lungs, and as Q recounts it, MJ was trying to get him to understand the lung issues. In MJ’s autobiography, he mentioned an incident very early on when he couldn't breathe and ended up in the hospital. He wasn’t diagnosed with Lupus until after this. Q also didn’t go to MJ’s memorial service and apparently lied about why: he said he didn't want to attend any more funerals. In reality, he had a date with a woman way younger than himself for some fancy gala on the same day as the memorial. He said, after MJ died, he wanted to be white, “just look at his kids.” There was also going to be a live concert celebrating all the music Quincy & MJ made together; then that HBO thing happened, and Quincy just pulled MJ’s name off everything associated with it, making a celebration of Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad solely about himself. (If he’d read the autopsy report, he’d have known he was wrong about MJ’s health. And he should have left those kids out of his criticisms. He should shut up. But Quincy seems to have been right here, annoying as that is.
Great Story Michael! Thanks for sharing it with us....
Another example that it's not CDs that are actually bad but it's the mastering
I still think CDs are barely adequate.
Wow ….. It’s a whole learning experience about sound engineering just listening to the descriptions of your experience
Thank you for the story .. you the man !!!
I enjoy a good story Michael!! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome!
Really interesting account. Cheers from London!
😯 wow 😮
And #RUclips recommend blesses me once again. Amazing story 🥃 As a musician, this is how I compose and hear music. 🥰
Wow, what a great story - the music is triumphant!
So glad this Channel is back!
Amazing story! Thanks for sharing it.
Great story, Michael. Interesting and well told! Thanks!
Sir, I'm actually not familiar with you or your work (due to poverty, I'm not exactly a devotee of high-end audio equipment, though I definitely mourn the loss of the Pioneer SX-990 & PL-41 my father ordered at the PX in Saigon before I was born), but this was an amazing story. I am a musician, and have done some low-level studio recording; many years ago, I was trying to teach my wife to hear music like a musician- i.e. essentially what you did for that jury. I was and am not as knowledgeable about this as you clearly are, so that took a while. I will never forget the day she finally heard what I was talking about. Her eyes looked as big as saucers, and she said "wow, you're right! It really is just like switching suddenly from low contrast black & white to incredibly vivid colour!". She was a journalism & photography student attending WSU at the time, which is why the photography metaphor...
Great story, good work, and it's a pity that Q's award was cut down on appeal...
Glad I watched this.
We all know why it turned out the way it did, don’t we?
Wow. Great video Micheal. Fantastic.
That was Fantastic!!!
This was so informative and inspirational. As a Sound Nerd…I am in heaven!
Had the vinyl as a kid and listened to it religiously! Just amazing they could gradually ruin a classic for "loudness points" lol.
Excellent job of describing the recording/producing process, you broke it down in a way that anyone with ears could understand.
This man has been an honorable man since childhood. U R also fully qualified as a lawyer or judge to me . Thank God. 🙏
LOL, hilarious! Great job!
Thank you Michael for that story. I really enjoyed it. I'm a cd collector (have about 3000) & what I don't like is when albums have their soul ripped from their chest & end up just noise. Led Zeppelin - Mothership case & point. I dunno what version of Bad I've got. I just hope it's not the 25 one.
Great story! Bruce's favorite stereo mic technique was indeed Blumlein and he would have used it on a group of singers in a choir for example (check out 'Keep the Faith'), but MJ's lead vocals would be on a single mono mic. For MJ's backing vocals he would also record mono but would ask him to take a step back for each harmony layer and push the gain to compensate.
I loved it, great story, well thought & well told. I thoroughly enjoyed it and your energy that charged the story👏
Thank you I just randomly clicked on this, your a captivating story teller