Quincy Jones’ Estate Sells Catalog, Including Stake in Michael Jackson Classics

Quincy Jones’ family has struck an acquisition deal with HarbourView Equity Partners that will cover large swaths of his legendary catalog, including his stake in three classic Michael Jackson albums.

The deal covers Jones’ recorded music and publishing rights, including his interest in not only the three Jackson albums he produced (Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad), but his own seminal composition “Soul Bossa Nova” and George Benson’s 1980 hit “Give Me the Night.” Also included are Jones’ ancillary rights in other assets, like his stake in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, on which he was an executive producer.

“Our father didn’t just create hits, he built platforms that shaped culture across music, film, media, and technology,” said Quincy Jones III (QD3). “He believed innovation was a creative tool and embraced it early, from serving on the board of MIT to pushing the boundaries of what storytelling could be. He had a deep passion for empowering future generations of creatives, and saw technology/innovation as a conduit if used ethically.”

“He’s an omnipresent force in creative spaces,” HarbourView’s CEO Sherrese Clarke tells Rolling Stone. “We’ve got a number of iconic works in our portfolio, but adding someone like this to how we see our job as stewards and holders of canons of work for future generations, it felt like a blessing.” (HarbourView also manages catalogs by Kelly Clarkson, Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, T-Pain, Kane Brown, James Fauntleroy, and more.)

“We obviously have good economic terms [relative to the market]. We did all the things that we were supposed to do for the family, and they did right by us,” Clarke continues. “But to me, it’s more an honor to have the responsibility of working with this family so closely to continue to exalt his legacy.”

Jones, who died in November 2024 at the age of 91, was one of the most prolific and important figures of 20th century music. Over seven decades, he worked as a trumpet player, composer, arranger, producer, conductor, and scorer. As his daughter, the actress Rashida Jones, put it in a statement, “Long before anyone talked about ‘multi-platform,’ he was already building bridges and connecting the dots across music, film, television, publishing, technology and culture, creating iconic juggernauts like Thriller, The Color Purple, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Vibe.”

The catalog acquisition reflects that breadth, as well as the legacy of his work. It covers, for instance, Jones’ songwriting stake in Kanye West’s “Good Life,” due to its sample of Jackson’s “P.Y.T.”, which Jones co-wrote with James Ingram. Similarly, Tupac’s “How Do U Want It” is part of the deal because of its use of Jones’ 1974 song, “Body Heat.”

The deal also includes the theme songs Jones composed for the hit crime drama Ironsides and the classic sitcom Sanford and Son. Clarke highlighted these as one of the more unique facets of the Jones catalog acquisition, and how his work has shaped our collective pop culture consciousness.

“Growing up, the intro to Sanford and Sons was iconic,” she says, unable to refrain from humming a bit of the jaunty lead sax melody. “I may not remember every episode, but I know that intro. It’s so wonderful to be a part of the cultural legacy.”

As for the three Jackson albums, Jones likely earned a 10 percent basic royalty from those records — a not insignificant figure considering they’ve collectively sold over 100 million copies worldwide. (While usually such a number would be buried in a private contract, a dispute between Jones and the Jackson estate over allegedly unpaid royalties in the 2010s brought some details to light.) The nuances of Jones’ stake in Jackson’s catalog also didn’t provide any particular complications to the deal, Clarke says, and the Jackson estate wasn’t involved in the deal.

“Obviously, we’re huge fans of those works,” she says. “So in some ways, it made it very attractive — in a lot of ways it made it very attractive. And didn’t make it any more complicated.”

Going forward, HarbourView and the Jones estate will continue to work on initiatives tied to the catalog, as well as Jones’ name, image, and likeness, though Clarke declined to tease any upcoming projects. That said, HarbourView will be hosting a tribute event for Jones on March 13 in Los Angeles, ahead of the Academy Awards.

“Our father was endlessly curious and always ahead of his time,” says Rashida. “What made him extraordinary was his ability to see around corners and bring together the right people, ideas, and sounds to create timeless work again and again. As his children, our responsibility is to protect not only the catalog, but the spirit and love behind it.”