The rights to 100% of publishing and songwriting royalties to Do The Bartman, the 1990 novelty hit from TV series The Simpsons, have been sold to an anonymous buyer for US $38,500, MBW has discovered.
Despite its jokey pop rap style, Do The Bartman is a serious piece of real estate: not only did the track become a No.1 hit in the UK, Ireland, Norway and Australia in 1991, but it was technically co-written by a certain Michael Jackson.
That’s ‘technically’ because Jackson’s name still does not officially appear on the credits of the song – or, therefore, the $38,500 package (pictured) snapped up by its anonymous buyer.
In September 1990, Simpsons producer James L. Brooks issued a press release claiming that reports linking Jackson to the track were misplaced. He stated that 100% of the song was actually written by Jackson’s friend, Bryan Loren.
This was a lie.
In 1998, Simpsons creator Matt Groening finally gave the game away, confirming that Do the Bartman really was co-written and co-produced by The King Of Pop.
“IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN AMAZING TO ME THAT NO-ONE EVER FOUND OUT THAT MICHAEL JACKSON WROTE THAT SONG.”
MATT GROENING, SPEAKING IN 1998
The team behind The Simpsons were apparently forbidden from publicly giving Jackson credit because he was under contract to Sony at the time – while Do The Bartman came out on rival Geffen.
According to Variety, Groening told an audience at the Annual World Animation Celebration in Pasadena in 1998: “[It has] always [been] amazing to me that no one ever found out that Michael Jackson wrote that song…
“He was a big fan of the show.”
The new owner of the song just bought 100% of both the publisher’s and songwriter’s shares of both BMI and Sony Publishing royalties for the song on auction site Royalty Exchange.
The $38,500 lot also includes additional royalties for a collection of other songs by Bryan Loren.
The average yearly revenue generated by the asset between 2010-2012 was $4,357.
But in 2013, the last accounted-for year, the song amassed less than $1,000.
In its heyday, Do The Bartman sold over 400,000 units in the UK market.
It was never officially released as an official single in the US, but reached No.11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay chart.
