Michael Jackson's big-money deals

Michael Jackson is raking in more money than any musician in history seven years after his death. Sony just purchased the Jackson estate's remaining stake in a massive music publishing catalog.

New York Post music critic Hardeep Phull says Jackson's shrewd business moves are paying off years later -- and it all comes down to publishing rights.

When the Beatles lost their publishing rights back in the 1960s, Jackson saw an opportunity that may have cost him a friendship with Paul McCartney.

Jackson purchased his share of the Sony/ATV catalog back in 1985 for nearly $42 million. It also includes publishing rights to music from Bob Dylan, Eminem and Taylor Swift.

Despite Michael Jackson's foresight, he accrued hundreds of millions in debt by the time of his death in 2009. His family has been able to offset that debt through new ventures, re-releases and deals like this one.