What's next for Jackson?
Observers say a comeback for self-titled 'King of Pop' would be tough
 |  Jackson, followed by attorney Thomas Mesereau, leaves court after his acquittal. |
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 Michael Jackson's career has been in decline for years.
 How will his acquittal affect Michael Jackson's chances of future success?
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(CNN) -- Michael Jackson has been found not guilty of all charges in his child molestation case.
Now what?
He has an uphill battle to resume his music career, say some observers, but it's still possible.
"I think Michael has to get to a point where he just focuses ... and makes a great record," Rolling Stone magazine's Anthony DeCurtis told CNN.
He added that Jackson should take the opportunity to relieve himself of the pressure of repeating his overwhelming '80s success, including creating "Thriller," one of the best-selling albums of all time.
"You don't get that twice. I think that has crippled Michael's creativity. Setting aside all the other things that have complicated his career, he has been in a rut," DeCurtis said.
At least one music mogul would like a shot at reviving Jackson's career.
"Sounds like he's running. He doesn't have to," Island/Def Jam Records President Antonio "LA" Reid told CNN during the trial. "You are Michael Jackson. Understand what that means. You're a superstar, you're a legend."
If Jackson were under Reid's guidance, the label president -- known for crafting Mariah Carey's recent comeback -- would get him out in public, away from the isolation of Neverland.
"Move to New York City and start to feel some of the concrete," said Reid. "Go to the restaurants, go out and hang, go to the club and listen to some music ... so people are like, 'Guess what, Michael is bordering on normal.' "
But pop culture expert and Syracuse University professor Robert Thompson observes that Jackson has been better known in recent years for his tabloid appearances, not his music.
"Is there something there to be recovered? I'm not sure that there is," Thompson told CNN. "It's been close to a decade since people have looked forward to a new Michael Jackson release, rather than the latest scandal or bizarre event. ... What he was doing [in the last decade] was manufacturing scandal that we enjoyed consuming."
'His career was in dire shape'
During the trial, prosecutors made much of Jackson's decline, and there's no question the singer's musical popularity has nosedived since its peak in the 1980s. His last No. 1 single was "You Are Not Alone" in 1995; his 2001 album, "Invincible," did top the charts, but his label, Sony, took a loss on the record when its sales proved relatively disappointing.
Indeed, ask people about the last decade for Michael Jackson and they're more likely to talk about his two brief marriages, his baby dangling or his changing facial appearance rather than recall hits such as "Stranger In Moscow," "They Don't Care About Us" or "Butterflies."
"His career was in dire shape before the trial happened," noted Entertainment Weekly Senior Editor Rob Brunner. "His 2001 attempted comeback album, 'Invincible' ... didn't sell near enough to recoup [his label] Sony's investment."
Indeed, one reason Jackson took part in the 2003 documentary "Living with Michael Jackson" was to improve his image. However, Jackson's acknowledgement in the documentary that he shared his bed with minors eventually prompted authorities to charge Jackson with the sexual molestation counts.
Now that he's been vindicated, he'll have plenty of incentive to jump-start his career -- not simply to improve his image, but to improve his financial prospects.
During the trial, government witnesses testified the singer has been suffering cash-flow problems, despite ownership of several music publishing catalogs, including the one that controls the Beatles' songs. (See story.) Jackson has taken out loans to fund his lifestyle, using the music publishing as collateral; one $200 million loan, owned by a New York hedge fund, is due to be paid in full in December.
He also has run up more than $20 million in legal fees in the past few years.
DeCurtis believes that the acquittal has actually eased Jackson's financial situation.
"As far as the immediate crisis for people willing to restructure his debts ... it will be much easier for him to deal with [them] as a result of getting a not guilty verdict," he told CNN.
Juke box jury
Jackson has plenty to overcome. Besides the trial dragging his name through the mud and the stigma of his tabloid appearances, he also alienated many in the music industry with a press conference he gave in July 2002 when he called former Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola -- Jackson's then boss -- "racist" and "very, very devilish." Jackson also held up a picture of Mottola smeared with a pitchfork and devil horns.
One-time confidant Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who told CNN before the trial that he believed Jackson was not guilty, is concerned about Jackson's mental health. "My criticism of Michael is his self-absorption -- the whole celebrity thing where he needs to feel like he's worshipped," he told CNN in April.
But J. Randy Taraborrelli, a Jackson biographer and supporter, wonders if the singer has the energy to revive his musical career. Indeed, during the trial, the singer often appeared listless and, at times, received medical treatment for various aches and pains.
"I believe he could get a record deal if the music is noteworthy, but I'm not sure he's interested in doing this," Taraborrelli told the BBC. "This trial has taken a lot out of him, and I'm not sure he has the desire or the fire in his belly to write and produce music. He can't just turn it on and off at will and I think it will take some time for him to get past this emotionally."
Jackson has built his career on being family-friendly yet musically thrilling, safe for children yet engaging for teens and adults. Intimations of sexual predilections won't help his career; neither will the current music business, which has undergone changes in style and consumer tastes since Jackson's 1980s domination.
"The trial notwithstanding," says Thompson of Jackson, "all kinds of things conspire against his being a music superstar again."
But Rick Rubin, the record producer known for his work with the Beastie Boys, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash and Shakira, told The Associated Press he believes Jackson can come back.
"I think he can always have a career making music. People will always be interested in what he does," Rubin said. "Regardless of any other things going on in their lives, people are always interested by the great acts, and there's no questions he's one of the greats. Regardless of anything else going on, he's still Michael Jackson."
Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
