In honor of the legendary pop icon, Michael Jackson, who died tragically on June 25th, Universal Motown Records is releasing Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite on October 20th.

The project is a tribute CD comprised of a collection of top producers commissioned to remix 12 of their favorite songs from the Jackson 5’s catalogue during the Motown era, including popular tunes by the group such as “ABC and “Dancing Machine,” as well as more obscure records like “Maria” and “Skywriter.”

“It’s no secret that Michael Jackson’s phenomenal talent inspired countless entertainers,” says Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone. “But his music also inspired many of today’s finest producers. That’s why we thought it would be exciting to invite them to put their own unique spin on his work.”

Enlisted on the project are top-notch producers such as Akon, Polow (Da Don), The Neptunes, Stargate, Dallas Austin, Salaam Remi, and Mark Hoppus (Blink-182), just to name a few.

“We jumped at the opportunity to be involved with this project because Michael is a legend who influenced our entire career and redefined the world of music,” says Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes), who remixed “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Producer Salaam Remi, who has worked with Nas, The Fugees, and Amy Winehouse (amongst others), remixed the classic “ABC” by adding a reggae vibe to the song. Commenting on the new version, Remi says he “imagined the Jackson’s taking a trip to Jamaica in the early ’70s with a Jamaican band playing behind them.”

For Polow (Da Don), the challenge he faced in re-creating “Dancing Machine” was “to mix what the Jacksons had done in 1974 with today’s music to create something new that sounds just as good now as it did back in the day.”

The release of Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite follows the model of Universal Motown’s bi-weekly four-part digital suite series, which started online on August 25th until it ended on October 6th.

The Coca-Cola Company and Atlantic Records have partnered together, assembling artists on the label from different genres (hip-hop, pop and rock) to record the single “Open Happiness,” as the accompanying song to the third installment in the Coca-Cola “Happiness Factory” series of commercials.   

A collection of top performers participated in the making of “Open Happiness,” including: Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco), Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), and Janelle Monae. Musically, the project was a collaborative effort between chart-topping producers Butch Walker (who co-wrote the song with Cee-Lo Green) and Polow Da Don, both men having produced for some of today’s most popular artists, such as Usher, Kelis, Pink, Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry. 

Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes felt that union made sense commercially and artistically, saying, “I think Coke reaching out to up-and-coming and established artists is a really good move - everyone comes out a winner. We as artists get to collaborate with people we look up to and Coca-Cola gets a fresh new song that I think people are going to be really receptive to.” 

Adding his perspective about being asked to participate on the project by such an iconic brand, Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green said: “I guess what was interesting about the idea at first was Coca-Cola’s interest in me – that was appealing. Music’s marketplace can be very fickle and unforgiving and if you want longevity and you want legend, who better to ask advice from than Coca-Cola?”

“At Atlantic we strive to create career artists who make music with worldwide resonance. The pairing of the artists on this song with the Coke brand is a perfect match and we anticipate it being a huge global success,” stated Camille Hackney, SVP, Brand Partnership and Commercial Licensing, Atlantic Records. 

“Open Happiness” launched today (3-16-09) as part of Coca-Cola’s new global integrated marketing campaign, supported by a global push using popular promotional outlets such as Myspace, iTunes, and Facebook. In addition, a percentage of the sales will be donated to charitable causes through Coca-Cola’s ‘Live Positively’ platform.