Who Gets Michael Jackson’s Millions? + More Wild Music Stories

30 Aug 2026 / 00:32:33

Michael Jackson's music continues to generate millions long after his death. But who actually gets the money? This week on Listener Land, we look at the extraordinary business of the Michael Jackson estate, how a superstar who generated enormous amounts of money ended up hundreds of millions in debt, who controls his estate today, and where the money it continues to make actually goes. But that's only the start. We also get into the Beastie Boys somehow sampling FIVE Beatles tracks in a single song, the story behind The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony royalties, Mick Jagger's surprisingly open opinion on AI music, why Albert King's real name wasn't actually Albert King, a brilliant story about Michael Stipe at college, and the surprising musician invited to play on a Beatles classic. Plus, as always, plenty of arguments, tangents and things we probably shouldn't have said. THREE OPINIONS. NO AGREEMENT. MUSIC. CULTURE. NO FILTER. https://listenerland.com Subscribe for more music stories, trivia, nostalgia and completely unnecessary arguments every week. CHAPTERS 00:00 This Week on Listener Land 01:22 Diddy, Prison & Another Court Story 04:23 Michael Jackson's Latest Court Case 05:25 Should We Finally Leave Michael Jackson Alone? 06:25 How Was Michael Jackson $500 Million in Debt? 06:57 Who Actually Controls Michael Jackson's Estate? 08:02 Turning Michael Jackson Into a Money Machine 10:34 The New Michael Jackson Film 13:00 Neverland, Bubbles & Michael Jackson's Childhood 15:52 Will There Be a Michael Jackson Part Two? 17:54 Could Jaafar Jackson Win an Award? 18:22 Who Gets Michael Jackson's Millions? 22:13 Beastie Boys Sampled FIVE Beatles Tracks 22:57 The Bitter Sweet Symphony Royalty Story 23:58 The Real Mick Jagger? 25:34 Mick Jagger's Take on AI Music 28:25 Albert King's Real Name Wasn't King 29:50 How B.B. King Got His Name 31:23 The Michael Stipe College Story 34:54 Who Was the First Outsider to Play With The Beatles? 36:30 Eric Clapton & While My Guitar Gently Weeps 36:53 Who Really Wrote Layla's Piano Ending? #MichaelJackson #MusicStories #ListenerLand