Remember when we were in a “State of Shock” after hearing the news of Michael Jackson’s death?

That quickly turned to mania, as the media went nuts over it and fans clamored to pay their respects by buying tons of Michael Jackson merchandise. And MJ fever shows no signs of being ready to “Beat It.”

As demand for all things Michael has spiked, there’s are no doubt that many suppliers are willing to meet it. From vendors outside the Staples Center selling cheesy souvenirs, to multi-billlion dollar corporations, there are several beneficiaries of massive spending on Jackson’s music and memorabilia.

While I’m not suggesting you should unscrupulously profit from his demise, it’s a fact that some companies are enjoying a boom in Michael Jackson-related business. Here are four of them…

Four Companies At The Center Of The Michael Jackson Story

• eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY): As soon as tickets to the memorial were released, they predictably went on sale on eBay for thousands of dollars.

A search for “Michael Jackson” on eBay yielded 47,611 results, including an autographed photo for $3,200, a sealed version of “Thriller” for $1,200 and even this $1 million bill with Jackson’s face on it. And people say the Federal Reserve has recklessly printed money!

• Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) - If it’s for sale, chances are Amazon sells it. You can download the mp3 of “Thriller” for $1.29, purchase a “Michael Jackson Superstar of the 80s” outfit doll for about $1,000, or the Michael Jackson $1 million novelty notes above for $0.99 each (or 100 for $30). At that price, you can’t afford to be without your fake Michael Jackson currency.

• Sony (NYSE: SNE): Michael Jackson’s record label was Epic Records, part of Sony Entertainment. He’s sold half a million albums since his death, compared with 10,000 the week before he died. You can be sure Sony will try to capitalize on his newfound popularity with some greatest hits albums in the near future.

• Time Warner (NYSE: TWX): With the vast amount of media coverage that the story is attracting, detailing every morsel of Jackson’s life and death, one outlet is emerging from the hungry pack.

Already a well-established site for entertainment news, celebrity gossip and video, the death of the greatest entertainer since Elvis has launched TMZ.com into the stratosphere. Mainstream outlets like CNN and Fox credited TMZ with breaking the story of Jackson’s death.

TMZ is a joint venture between two TWX divisions, AOL and Telepictures Productions. Anyone looking for this type of news now has to consider TMZ the go-to website. And over the past three months, page views have jumped more than 26%, in large part due to the spike in Michael Jackson traffic just in the past few weeks.

In short, while it might be difficult to play this news directly, companies with exposure to Michael Jackson’s popularity could see a bump in revenue.

Hoping your longs go up and your shorts go down.

Marc Lichtenfeld

Source: How the Michael Jackson Story Impacts Investors