According to American Songwriter, three of the late singer’s songs have been taken down from streaming services by Sony Music, which is in charge of the catalog’s rights.
The three tracks in question—”Breaking News,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and “Monster” with 50 Cent—all appeared on Jackson’s posthumous album Michael from 2010. Because of this, only seven of the album’s 10 tracks are now accessible via Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
A spokesperson for Jackson’s official website told the outlet the move “had nothing to do with their authenticity.”
“I should point out that the removal of these three songs has nothing to do with their authenticity,” the spokesperson said. “The Estate and Sony Music believe the continuing conversation about the tracks is distracting the fan community and casual Michael Jackson listeners from focusing their attention where it should be – on Michael’s legendary and deep music catalog.”
Jackson’s estate and Sony Music told USA Today via a statement that, “Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks –it is just time to move beyond the distraction surrounding them.”
The information comes eight years after a fan accused Michael Jackson’s estate and Sony Music of using phony vocals on the aforementioned songs and filed a lawsuit. In 2018, a judge determined that even while neither party was certain that Jackson sung on the in dispute tracks, they were not responsible for the claims made by the fan.