About this episode

Sandy Kaye interviews Dan Beck about his experiences working with Michael Jackson during the HIStory era.

Step behind the curtain of the music industry and into the high-stakes world of one of pop’s most fascinating eras. In this episode, Sandy Kaye explores the remarkable story of Dan Beck — the music executive who worked closely with Michael Jackson during a pivotal and turbulent time in his career. Dan Beck wasn’t just another record label executive. As a senior figure at Epic Records, he became Michael Jackson’s key marketing and product manager in the early 1990s , placing him right at the centre of one of the most complex and pressured periods in pop history. From the release of Dangerous through to the ambitious HIStory project, Beck was deeply involved in shaping how Jackson was presented to the world. In this fascinating conversation, we unpack what it was really like behind the scenes — not the headlines, not the myths, but the day-to-day reality of working with the biggest star on the planet . Dan shares insights into: The intense pressure of managing a global superstar’s image The strategy behind launching major albums in the pre-streaming era The challenges of navigating controversy while protecting an artist’s legacy What Michael Jackson was really like in a working…

People in this episode

Host: Sandy Kaye

Guest: Dan Beck

Topics covered

• Michael Jackson
• music industry
• record label
• HIStory era
• Dan Beck
• pop music
• album marketing

Keywords

• Michael Jackson
• Dan Beck
• HIStory
• Epic Records
• music executive
• album marketing
• pop music

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Epic Records

Books & works: You’ve Got Michael: Living Through HIStory

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