Sony and the Michael Jackson estate owns the publishing rights to the Beatles Catalog, financially benefiting from the Beatles songs finally sold on-line at iTunes

written in part by Bloomberg News June 28, 2009 article

Sony/ATV Music Publishing, co-owned by the Michael Jackson Estate and Sony, controls most of the Beatles songs.

Singer/Publisher the late Michael Jackson (now the M.J. Estate), owns 50 percent of Sony/ATV, which holds rights to more than 200 Beatles songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, as well as songs by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady GaGa, John Mayer, Little Richard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Duke Ellington, Eminem, Akon, Shakira, Petula Chark, and a long list of other songs. Prior to his death, Michael Jackson "gave" Little Richard the publishing rights to all of Little Richard's songs.

The Jackson Estates' share of Sony/ATV is "worth an estimated one billion dollars", said Ivan Thornton, a private-wealth adviser who has worked with Jackson.

Sony/ATV (ATV owned by M.J. Estates) continues to hold the Lennon and McCartney catalog, and will do quite well. Beginning today the Beatles collection is on the iTunes website. The late Michael Jackson paid $47.5 million in 1985 for the catalog (and many other aforementioned acts), outbidding McCartney and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.

"Michael Jackson was very proud of this partnership with Sony," said Martin Bandier, chief executive of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. "For him this was about really honing his business skills in an area that he loved."

Publishers license music and collect royalties, ensuring the owners are paid when a song is used commercially. Publishers can also be copyright owners.

In 1995, Jackson merged the ATV collection with Sony-owned recordings to create Sony/ATV, said Jimmy Asci, a company spokesman. In 2006, Jackson offered Sony the option to buy half of his 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV, allowing the singer to refinance $300 million of loans.

"Michael Jackson was a perfectionist and his business affairs are worldwide," Katz said. "Many of them are quite ongoing..."

Jackson's solo albums "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Dangerous," "Bad" and "HIStory," were recorded with Sony's Epic Records and are among the top-sellers of all time, the company said. MJ's first solo album "Got to be There" was recorded with Motown records.

He sold 750 million records worldwide and released 13 No. 1 singles, according to Sony.