Did New MJ Collection Empty MJ's Vault

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The 162-track "Ultimate Fan Extras" is a bargain at $82, but is it too much too soon?

The recent release of two massive Michael Jackson anthologies, the most comprehensive sets in his catalog, raises a question about an artist never known for stockpiling songs: Is this it?

The 270 tracks released to iTunes might just have cleaned out the pop legend's vault a mere four years after his death. No one at Epic or Legacy Recordings would comment on the digital box sets or what's left in the can.

The Indispensable Collection compiles seven albums, from 1979's Off the Wall to 2001's Invincible, plus a live 1988 performance. The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection gathers career-spanning demos, alternate versions, radio edits, remixes, instrumentals and live cuts.

These are the latest lures in a pipeline that began flowing soon after Jackson died of a propofol overdose in 2009 while preparing for his This Is It concert run.

Their arrival coincides with Michael Jackson ONE, a new Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas that follows the lucrative touring Cirque show, The Immortal World Tour. They also overlap the ongoing wrongful death suit filed by his mother against AEG Live.

"Why release two anthologies now, when Michael Jackson's reputation is being tarnished, yet again, in a much-publicized court case?" says George Varga, U-T San Diego pop music critic, who decries "the continuing rush to again cash in on Jackson's tragic death."

"Of course, it's not surprising that this enormously gifted and tragic artist seems to be even more exploited now than when he was alive. But it doesn't make it any less disconcerting. In the old days — like, you know, a decade or two ago — the estates of dead pop superstars might actually have waited until the fifth anniversary to simultaneously release two mega-compilations. But why wait when opportunity is knocking?"

Billboard editor Joe Levy takes a rosier view, dubbing the 162-track Ultimate's $82 price tag "a bit of a bargain," presuming fans desire five versions each of Remember the Time, Black or White and One More Chance.

"I don't think we've hit a point where they've released too much, and certainly the market doesn't think so," says Levy, citing Nielsen SoundScan data indicating that 21.7 million Jackson albums sold between 1991-2009 and 12.3 million since he died.

The question may not be what's left but "what you do with the assets, how you remix and recombine them," Levy says. "If you invited collaborators in, what might you be able to create that's new and lets you hear the music in a new way?

"Michael Jackson wasn't like 2Pac, someone who went to the studio and just laid down ideas. There were artists like Jimi Hendrix, whose genius was restless and short-lived and whose work has been mined far longer and deeper than you would have imagined. Michael doesn't appear to be that kind of an artist. I wouldn't rule out other unheard tracks surfacing, but I wouldn't count on it."

He does envision countless reconfigurations, "given how important he was to so many different generations."

"Look at how many times Jay-Z references him on his current album," Levy says. "Certain legacy artists continue to sell forever, like Elvis, The Beatles. Michael will be repackaged endlessly and new generations can be introduced to the work through those packages."

Pointing to The Complete Remix Suite, a recent compilation of retooled Jackson tunes, Levy adds, "In the age of remixes, I would not say this music is over, particularly because so many artists talk about Jackson's influence on their work. There are any number of rappers, pop stars, R&B artists and veterans who would be thrilled and honored to collaborate on a Michael Jackson record."

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corlista u can go to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for many concert DVDs! but if u meant in stores ur exactly right!!! i'd like to see more bad concerst on DVD!!! like one from Dallas!

The estate supply sony with the songs I'm pretty sure, maybe not. Soundcloud is a site where you can upload your own music, but I, and many other people just use it to upload covers of mj songs, or just mj songs lol.

There is also the possibility of there not being as many unreleased songs as we think there are, and we know sony and the estate want to keep this going for as long as possible to make as much money as possible.