New Book: “You’ve Got Michael” Living through HIStory by Dan Beck

 If you have been to Kingvention 2016 or read Iconic Magazine, you will know who Dan Beck is.

Dan Beck is a Music Executive, Creative Strategist, and Author from New York City.

With a career spanning over four decades in the music industry, Beck served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Epic Records during the height of Michael Jackson’s career. He played a key role in shaping the marketing campaigns for Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory, and was instrumental in bringing Michael Jackson’s visionary concepts to life—both visually and globally. His close collaboration with Michael gave him rare insight into the artist’s creative process and the business dynamics behind some of pop culture’s most iconic moments.

Beyond his work with Michael Jackson, Beck has contributed to the success of a wide range of artists and was an early pioneer in cross-platform music marketing.

Dan is now releasing his memoir about working with Michael Jackson during the HIStory era. The book cover features a photo that fans may recognize—it’s a personal picture of Dan Beck and Michael on the set of the short film Scream, taken by Steven Whitsitt.

Here what you will find in the book:

In 1991, Dan Beck was a senior product manager at Epic Records when he was made Michael Jackson’s main marketing contact at the label. For five rollercoaster years, he was immersed in a world of unequalled stardom, dealing with the outsized ambition, whims and idiosyncrasies of the world’s most famous entertainer.

It was a pivotal point in Jackson’s career. His previous album had failed to repeat the record-shattering success of Thriller. Would the upcoming Dangerous help rebuild the King of Pop’s global audience? Rumors about his personal life and his eccentricities had made him the subject of gossip and accusations in the press, which had taken to calling him “Wacko Jacko.”

“You’ve Got Michael” is the story of the high-stakes battle to save Michael Jackson’s career and market his 1995 greatest hits album, as told by the record company executive who was the closest to him. Rather than rehashing a controversial career, “You’ve Got Michael” goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of the music business at its multi-platinum height.

From the frequent 2:00 a.m. phone calls to the runaway budgets of video shoots, the desperate efforts to get Michael to complete the new songs for the HIStory greatest hits collection to corporate damage control on a monumental career on the precipice of collapse, “You’ve Got Michael” offers a unique look into the workings of the record industry before the digital age and the details of working so closely with one of its biggest figures, a supreme talent hampered by naïveté and blind spots when it came to his behavior and image.

Working with Michael brought Beck into contact with other stars, including Michael Jordan, Lisa Marie Presley, Janet Jackson and super-lawyer Robert Kardashian. He and Jackson shivered together in an airplane hangar and spent time together at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Beck was there when Jackson redefined the Super Bowl halftime show and rubbed shoulders with celebrities at the Museum of Natural History to celebrate the success of Thriller.

Dan Beck writes, “I wish I could put Michael Jackson in some neat compartment of my brain. Some gray matter that could integrate the intrigue, the sense of responsibility, the exhaustion, the utter helplessness, the power, the joy, the dread, the embarrassment, the pride, the awe, the pity and, yes, the thrill of working with Michael Jackson.”

The book will be available on pre-sale now for a Discount paperback presale at $20 and fully available on October 15.

You can pre-order HERE for US and Canada. Coming soon on Amazon for the rest of the world.

Dan Beck will be appearing at Kingvention’s KVNYC “HIStory Begins” in New York on October 25, 2025, where he will share stories from his time working with Michael Jackson. This special event will also feature a book signing exclusively to the Michael Jackson fans, your chance to be among the first to get your hands on his brand-new memoir. Don’t miss it!

Pez Jax, owner of MJVibe and Kingvention, has read an advance copy of Dan Beck’s book and revealed that Dan’s story is essential reading for getting those behind the scenes stories of the moments we know and love as well as gaining an understanding of the music industry and its relationship with Michael Jackson.

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