The man who brought the financial world David Bowie bonds is now said to be pursuing a similar deal with Michael Jackson. Structured finance innovator David Pullman, who runs his own investment banking shop in New York, is talking to the shy pop singer about ways to transform his song royalties into securities, according to recent media reports. Thriller is the second-highest-selling album in history, and Jackson also owns a share of every Beatles song. Since pulling off his widely publicized $55 million offering for Bowie in 1997, Pullman, 38, has secured only a handful of sizable new deals; he’s spent much of his time locked in a legal battle with Bowie’s former manager and Prudential Securities, over an aborted joint venture. Would a Jackson deal provide a needed spark for the intellectual-property-rights financier? Pullman wouldn’t confirm the discussions but noted that “between Thriller and his piece of the Beatles’ rights, it’s a tremendous catalogue.” Jackson’s reps did not return calls.
