Michael Jackson's estate fights auction over unreleased recordings

Michael Jackson’s estate objected to a New Jersey-based auction house set trying to sell three cassette tapes containing unreleased recordings by the late pop star.

Jackson's estate criticized the auction in a statement to TMZ, calling it a "sad attempt by an auction site to mislead the public."

The estate says that it owns the material on the cassettes, which it claims are merely copies of original master recordings.

It further asserts that the auction winner would not have the right to copy, distribute, or publicly play the recordings due to copyright restrictions.

The tapes are listed with a minimum bid of $85,000 and are expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000.

Dylan Kosinski, CEO & Head of Consignments at Gotta Have Rock and Roll, told DailyMail that the auction generated significant interest.

"Fans want to hear new music, which is why the tapes are getting so much buzz and hopefully will sell to a collector who wants to listen to them," Kosinski stated.

Kosinski defended the sale, emphasizing that the tapes are "artifacts only" and will have no copyright value.

The 12 recordings, date back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, and feature early versions of songs, including Truth On The Youth with LL Cool J and a track with Janet Jackson on lead vocals.

While the Jackson estate asserts ownership, the auction house is pressing forward with the sale.