In a report published by UK’s The Sun, it is believed that a group of hackers breached the system at Sony Headquarters, downloading more than 50,000 files, which equates to around $160 million. This is just after news broke that Sony paid $250 million for the seven year rights to the songs following the death of the pop superstar. The breach has also compromised the works of artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, Olly Murs, the Foo Fighters and Avril Lavigne.
A source close to Sony revealed that “Everything Sony purchased from the Michael Jackson estate was compromised. It caused them to check their systems and they found the breach. There was a degree of sophistication. Sony identified the weakness and plugged the gap.”
The $250 million contract also enables Sony to release 10 albums over the period of the contract, including material from previous studio sessions and collaborations from the late Freddie Mercury and Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am.
