On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans. Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: “This is it!”
A few months later, Jackson was dead. With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25. This figure is based on his royalties（版税） from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog (编目权).
Jackson’s music was his most easily-seen source in the last months. “Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ... an untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist.
The music’s immediate value was clear. Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5.9 million albums in the U.S. and another 4.5 million overseas. In the first weeks after his death, there were 5.6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia. Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift’s Fearless.
More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold. In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS.
Jackson’s estate（遗产）will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name. The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG.
Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit. Hundreds of Jackson’s personal belongings－his L.A. Rolls Royce etc－will remain on show for three months at the O2 for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view.
The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47.5 million in 1985. Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1.7 to $2 billion. So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death.
Jackson’s future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music and as well as the value of his image（肖像）. As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson’s fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events.
小题1:What do Barry Massarsky’s words in Paragraph 3 imply?
A．Jackson died at the time as expected.
B．Only at death can an artist become famous.
C．Jackson became more famous at death than when he was alive.
D．Jackson’s unexpected death raised his value as an artist immediately.小题2:All the following is true EXCEPT that _____.
A. “This is it” is the last concert that Jackson gave
B. Jackson has sold 10.4 million albums since June
C. Jackson’s L.A. Rolls Royce is now for show and will finally be sold
D. Jackson’s stock in music and his image will keep on earning money in the future
小题3:What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Jackson’s album Number Ones beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003.
B．Taylor Swift’s Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009.
C．AEG takes in more film profits from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate.
D．More Jackson’s music videos were sold than his ringtones right after his death.小题4:What can we know about the Sony/ATV catalog?
A．Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony in 1985.
B．Jackson had half right of ATV Publishing at his death.
C．Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony for $ 47.5 million in 1995.
D．Jackson’s stock in Sony/ATV now has a value of about $ 1.7 billion to 2 billion.小题5:What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Why Michael Jackson’s music is so popular all over the world.
B．How Michael Jackson has earned $90 million in the months since his death.
C．What Michael Jackson’s future earning potential is based on.
D．How much Michael Jackson earned in the first few months after his death.
