Paul McCartney Taught Michael Jackson One Rule. It Cost Him Everything.

In the early 1980s, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson recorded two songs together and spent time between sessions talking about the music business. In one of those conversations, Paul told Michael something he had learned the hard way: own the publishing. Own the rights. That is where the real money is, and that is where the real control is. Michael Jackson listened. He applied the lesson. In 1985, he purchased ATV Music Publishing -- which included the rights to hundreds of Beatles songs -- for 47.5 million dollars. Paul McCartney had taught him the rule. He had not anticipated what Michael would do with it. In this video, we look at what happened between those two sessions in 1982 and the moment Paul McCartney understood what the lesson he had taught had set in motion. Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, ATV Music Publishing, music publishing, music business, 1982, 1985, Say Say Say, music history, classic pop, music documentary. 00:00 -- The lesson in the studio 01:30 -- How music publishing works -- and why it matters 03:00 -- Michael Jackson in 1982: already listening differently 04:30 -- The catalog that was for sale 06:00 -- The decision and what it required 07:30 -- Paul McCartney finds out 09:00 -- The specific irony and what it revealed 10:30 -- What the story says about both of them