El discurso de Disney y su influencia en las películas

On Monday 30 June 1975, Joseph Jackson arranged a press conference to announce the family's new affiliation with CBS. With over eight months still to run on the Motown contracts, Joseph seemed more eager than ever to leave Motown. Even though he was extremely busy at this time dealing with Diana Ross and post-production on her film Mahogany, Berry fought back. On the morning of Joseph's announcement, Michael Roshkind told the press that if CBS expected to get all of the members of The Jackson 5, they would be disappointed – meaning that Jermaine would never leave Berry's side. Furthermore, Roshkind said, ‘There is no way the group will ever sing under that name for anyone else. They'll never get all five members of the group, and they won't be getting The Jackson 5.’

Earlier that morning, Berry had one of his lawyers send a telegram to Arthur Taylor, president of CBS Records, warning him that his company had better not host a press conference relating to The Jackson 5 since Gordy had exclusive rights to ‘issue authorized publicity’. When Berry learned that Taylor planned to ignore the warning, he sent him another telegram warning him that he'd better not refer to the group as The Jackson 5 at the media summit since Motown owned exclusive rights to that name.

The press conference took place at the Rainbow Grill atop the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. As a room full of reporters and photographers recorded the event, eleven members of the Jackson family were solemnly ushered into the room single-file by a CBS publicist. There were no smiles. Each Jackson took his seat on the dais, where ten high-backed black chairs were arranged behind a long, narrow table. All of the family members, with Jermaine conspicuously absent, put forth a united front to announce the group's signing with CBS, effective 10 March 1976, the day their Motown contracts expired. Katherine, Maureen (Rebbie), LaToya, Janet and Randy had been told by Joseph to be present in order to demonstrate family solidarity.

The atmosphere was sombre, such as one might find at a meeting at the United Nations. Joseph – stage right, at the end of the dais – in a dark pin- striped suit, announced that the Jacksons had signed with CBS Records; he then turned the floor over to members of the family.

Jackie explained that the group – referred to that afternoon as ‘The Jackson Family’ – was signing with Columbia, ‘because Columbia is an album- selling company, and albums is what really makes you known.’ When asked if the group had tried to renegotiate with Motown, he answered, ‘Yes, but the figures, they was just Mickey Mouse.’

Michael, in a black velvet jacket and matching vest, didn't have much to say. ‘I think the promotion will probably be stronger,’ he observed, meekly. He seemed awkward and uncomfortable, especially when contrasted with his confident brothers. It was painfully obvious that Michael wished he were somewhere else. ‘I think Motown did a great job for us,’ he said, tentatively. Joseph shot him a hot look. Michael caught the current and quickly added, ‘But, now, things will be even better.’

‘How will all of this affect your relationship with Berry Gordy?’ asked one writer.

Everyone on the dais looked to Joseph for an answer. He shrugged his shoulders and forced a thin smile. ‘You take it as it comes,’ he said. ‘Next question.’

‘Will Jermaine be joining the group?’

Again, Joseph answered. ‘Yes. But it'll take a while. Next question.’ ‘Why isn't Jermaine here?’

‘Next question.’

After the press conference, Berry Gordy filed a lawsuit against Joseph Jackson, The Jackson 5 and CBS, seeking five million dollars in damages for signing with CBS before the Motown contract had expired. Joseph countersued, claiming Motown owed the family royalties, unpaid advances, and expenses. Joseph thought Motown owed them money. Wrong. He owed Motown money. For by the terms of their contract, The Jackson 5 were liable for the costs of all of the songs they recorded for Motown, including the ones that were not released.

To say that Motown had kept the boys busy would be an understatement. Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 recorded 469 songs for Motown in the six years from 1969 to 1975. That's about seventy-five songs a year, which is astonishing considering that this isn't all the boys did for a living. Besides having to learn those songs before they could record them, they also rehearsed their ever-changing stage show, toured the world with their act, appeared on many television programmes – including their own specials – sat through countless interviews, posed for innumerable photos (there are thousands of photos of the boys the public has never seen), and also tried to have the semblance of a personal life outside of show business.

Of those 469 songs recorded by The Jackson 5, only 174 were actually released, or 37 per cent. The other 295, it was decided by company producers and Berry Gordy, were not up to Motown's standards. Therefore, much to the group's chagrin, the Jacksons owed Motown over $500,000 for songs that the public had never even heard. ‘That sucked,’ Joseph later said. ‘They really got us good.’

Michael Jackson, who was about to turn seventeen in August 1975, was sceptical. He had begun to have serious doubts about Joseph's ability as an entertainment manager. To his way of thinking, his father had made some major mistakes: he gave away Jermaine, he gave away their group name, and now he had to give away a lot of money, paying for songs that had never been released. ‘Maybe we shoulda’ read that contract,’ Michael said, bitterly.

However, taking the boys away from Motown and to Epic would not later be catalogued as one of Joseph's mistakes. If not for Joseph's decision, Michael would probably have ended up an obscure showbiz act, relegated to Las Vegas lounges – and not major showrooms, either. There is little doubt in the minds of most music historians that, after Moving Violation, The Jackson 5 would have stagnated at Motown in much the same way other groups who had stayed after their heyday did, such as The Supremes after Diana Ross left for happier trails.

If Joseph hadn't had his way when he did, Michael would probably be performing on ‘oldies-but-goodies’ revues today with one authentic Temptation, a couple of Four Tops, and Mary Wilson of the original Supremes. He would have aged into his forties singing ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘ABC’, to make a buck, much like the great Martha Reeves, still out there singing ‘Love is like a Heatwave’, maybe not so much because she wants to as much as because she must. It's a tough life for Motown survivors like Martha, and not one for the faint of heart. It would have been Michael's life, too, had he never had the freedom to write and produce his own songs. No matter what some may think of Joseph Jackson as a personal manager, in the final analysis, that man saved Michael Jackson's career.