Following the excitement caused by the American Idol’s use of the Beatles songs, and the ratings success that brought, Martin Bandier, CEO of Sony /ATV, is keen to do more lucrative deals with the catalogue, which is, of course, jointly owned by Michael and Sony/ATV.

Bandier has spoken of the negotiations to get the songs onto Apple’s iTunes music store and thinks that the Beatles may hopefully be closer to finalising an agreement to allow the songs to be digitalised. In an interview he told Reuters that would be ‘incredible’.

He also spoke of Michael’s half ownership of the catalogue and rumours that he may have to sell his share, for financial reasons.

“I don’t think that Michael’s interested in selling his share. For me, he’s been a great partner, has been supportive and has an amazing reputation among the artistry and makes a call when we need him to reinforce our position with artists.”

Source: Reuters

According to Global Track Chart, the official global hitlist compiled and provided by Media Traffic, ‘Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition’ rises 1 place to #8 in the Global Album Chart this week with sales of more than 73,000.

The album has now sold more than 1,635,000 copies.

Source: Global Track Chart

‘Thriller’ drops 14 places in the Irish Album Chart at #46.

Source: IRMA

French Chart Update
‘Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition’ rises 1 place on the French Albums Chart at #25.
‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008′ rises 46 places on the French Singles Chart at #10.

Source: Charts in France

Swiss Chart Update
‘Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition’ drops 7 places to #34 on the Official Swiss Album Charts this week.

Source: The Official Swiss Charts

Today (15-4-2008), “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008″ with Akon has been released as a CD single in the USA. It is an import from Sony Australia.

The song is taken from the new album Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition and a re-recorded version of the classic ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ featuring Urban star Akon.

Help the single making it to the top of the charts by buying your copy today!

Source: MJFC-USA

‘Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition’ drops 4 places on the UK Albums Chart this week to #13.

Source: BBC Radio 1

‘Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition’ drops 5 places to #13 in the Australian Albums Chart this week.

‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008′ drops 6 places to #25 in the Australian Singles Chart this week. It also drops 10 places to #29 in the Digital Track Chart.

‘Thriller’ drops 4 places to #10 in the Australian Physical Albums Chart this week.

‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008′ drops 4 places in the Australian Physical Singles Chart at #17.

‘Number Ones’ drops 4 places to #33 in the Australian DVD Charts.

‘Thriller’ drops 6 places in the Irish Album Chart at #32.

Source: IRMA

Yes, that fun viral tool which was recently launched by Sony Music BMG has finally made it to MTV!

Check it out and see how easy it is to do on the MTV web site.

Through the magic of technology, anyone can now star in the greatest music video of all time. Epic/Legacy Recordings (Sony BMG) have partnered with innovative media company Big Stage and YouTube to bring this landmark entertainment experience to the world. Central to the tribute is the ability for fans to easily create a life-like 3-D version of themselves that literally replaces the role of Michael Jackson in the music video.

With Big Stage’s 3-D capture technology, users take three simple pictures of themselves with a digital camera and upload them to the internet, where they will be quickly converted into a life-like 3-D avatar called an @ctor™. Big Stage’s proprietary technology will automatically map the contours of a user’s face to generate an incredibly accurate replica of the user, fully equipped for animation. Users can then style it with a host of accessories, from hair to eyeglasses, tattoos, hats and more. All you have to do is take 3 close-up photos with a digital camera and upload them here.

Source: Sony Music, MTV

Jay Sean (born Kamaljit Singh Jhooti) is a British Asian R&B singer. In a recent interview with ‘Music & Me’ he was asked about some of his favourites. One of his answers related to Michael Jackson:

Question: A great album cover is…

Answer: Thriller by Michael Jackson because inside the album cover there is an image of a tiger nestled in his armpit. I’d never have thought of putting a tiger in a photo shoot. On my new album My Own Way it’s just me pouting.

Jay Sean is best known for his hits ‘Stolen’, ‘Eyes On You’ and ‘Ride It’. He had several top 20 hits in the UK singles chart.

Source: Music & Me