Mere dilettantes might not have taken note of Papa Joe – a Dickensian character if ever there was one – since he used a press conference to promote a record label, four days after Michael's death.

Record sales soared as soon as news of Jackson's death was announced on June 25 last year. More than 415, 000 albums were sold in the first four days in America alone.

Months after his death, Michael Jackson set a music-industry record, thanks to a deal between his estate and Sony Corp. valued at as much as $250 million, according to people familiar with the terms.