A painting, a sculpture, a song – all these are tied to the person that created them, making them extensions of the artist, sort of like a representative. Is it possible to separate the art from the artist? In my opinion, no. I don’t have any answers, but what actually ends up happening (and I suspect in 10 years his music will still be being played) will be influenced by how we behave in light of our collective answers to these questions. What if a couple wants a Michael Jackson track as a first dance? What if such tracks are requested continually, or a manager insists they are played? What if a DJ chooses to play an instrumental without his voice, or tracks that sample Michael Jackson’s music? What if the DJ had been a victim of abuse? What if any members of his or her audience had (statistically, sadly, pretty likely)? Or the gig was played for an association, company or charity involved in the area? Ultimately isn’t the DJ’s job is to play what his or her audience wants, and trust that the audience will let the DJ know if what they’re playing is culturally unacceptable? Is it a DJ’s job to follow cultural norms, or set them?Ī few other points a DJ would have to bear in mind: Has Michael Jackson been proven guilty (yet) of anything? What if the DJ only chose to play tracks recorded by the Jackson Five (when he was a kid) or by extension, any records he made before the alleged abuse? What about Michael Jackson’s collaborations with people who didn’t know (“The Girl Is Mine” with Paul McCartney, for instance)? So it begs the question: Is it still OK to play his music at gigs? Phil says: Wedding and mobile DJs know this: Off The Wall, Thriller, The Jackson Five… these are all genuine pop and disco go-tos that have stood the test of time and seemed bound to stay that way.īut now the Michael Jackson legacy is in question in the wake of the sexual abuse allegations, and the backlash has just begun.

Some radio stations have pulled the pop superstar’s music from their playlists, ex-fans are starting to shun his music (aka “cancelled” in internet speak), and even the producers of The Simpsons, which had an episode featuring Michael Jackson himself, have said that they are pulling the episode from future box sets and video streams.īut what about us DJs? We find ourselves in an interesting situation: Michael Jackson’s catalogue is so vast and his songs are so deeply entrenched in pop culture, that playing his music at gigs is an easy (and often surefire) way to appeal to a wide audience demographic. With the two-episode documentary having concluded this past week, the music industry has started to react. While the allegations aren’t exactly new (eg Michael Jackson was acquitted back in 2005 over child molestation charges, he had an out-of-court settlement back in 1994), the level of graphic detail in which the two boys, now full-grown married men, explain the alleged abuses and manipulation that took place is shocking and horrific. Leaving Neverland, a brand new documentary that features two men who allegedly were sexually abused by Michael Jackson when they were just children, has been the talk of the internet these past few weeks.

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