Treasure Trove of 12 Unreleased Michael Jackson Tracks Discovered in Abandoned Storage Unit That Could Be Worth MILLIONS
The batch of new music may reel in millions at an auction.
Dec. 13 2024, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
The King of Pop's legacy is still alive... and making music.
A treasure trove of cassette and DAT tapes containing unreleased Michael Jackson songs were found in a storage unit by a former California Highway Patrol officer, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Unreleased tracks featuring the King of Pop were discovered in a storage unit.
Musgrove, now a stay-at-home dad, was contacted by an associate about a storage unit he bought in Van Nuys. The unit had previously belonged to Bryan Loren, a music producer and singer.
According to Musgrove, Loren's current whereabouts are unknown.
The tapes found include 12 unreleased tracks, music the megastar worked on prior to his Dangerous album, around 1989 to 1991.
The discovered tapes include 12 unreleased songs and snippets of Jackson talking as well.
Musgrove said: “I’ve gone to all the fan sites. Some of [the songs] are rumored to exist, some of them have been leaked a little bit. A couple aren’t even out there in the world.”
Along with the tracks, the tapes feature Jackson, and presumably Loren, touching on the recording and creative process.
“I’m listening to this stuff, and I would get goosebumps because nobody’s ever heard this stuff before,” Musgrove gushed. “To hear Michael Jackson actually talk and kind of joke back and forth, it was really, really cool.”
The singer's estate refused to purchase the tapes but made clear they still own the songs.
One of the unreleased tracks on the tapes is titled Don't Believe It - Jackson was open about the media's coverage of him and how it impacted him, made evident by his 1987 track, Leave Me Alone, following rumors about him in the tabloids.
Jackson, on another tape, is heard explaining the intended meaning of a track titled Seven Digits, referring to the identification number bodies receive in a morgue. Another track called Truth on Youth appears to feature Jackson and LL Cool J... in a rap duet.
The tapes, now in a secure facility under the control of Musgrove's attorney, were brought to the Jackson estate earlier this year but they declined to purchase the tapes for an unknown reason. They did warn any person who might purchase the tracks will not own the copyright on the recordings or the compositions.
Instead, the late singer's estate owns the music, which means they will most likely never be heard by the public.
Jackson died in 2009 from acute propofol intoxication.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A rep for the estate explained: "The Estate of Michael Jackson was presented with DAT copies NOT master recordings of Michael’s music, and we confirmed that the actual master recordings were in fact already located in the Estate’s vaults. It should be clear to all that ownership and rights of exploitation to the recordings remain vested in MJJP Records and that nothing commercial or otherwise can be done with the DAT copies.”
The value of the find is currently unknown, but Musgrove believes it’s in the seven-digit range, and he is considering taking it to the four major auction houses.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from acute propofol intoxication,
Meanwhile, the Jackson family recently found themselves mourning the loss of Jackson's brother Tito. Last month, the pop star's children were among those who paid their respects during his funeral.
The performer, who was part of the famous group Jackson 5, died on Sept. 15, 2024, following a reported heart attack.
After his death, Jackson's daughter, Paris, took to Instagram to remember her uncle, as she wrote: "Rest in transition Uncle Tito", while eldest son Prince shared a batch of family pics in another post.
