Welcome to Kim Dotcom's "Good Life" - but was it worth $24 million?
That is the dollar figure Dotcom put on the making of the music video which he made public today.
It was released on the fourth anniversary of the FBI raid which saw Dotcom's Megaupload website pulled down and his fortune seized in a series of co-ordinated court and law enforcement actions across the world.
"Just like every year on this special anniversary I have created something for you. I hope you will like it," he tweeted this morning.
The music video is set to the "Good Life" track from Dotcom's 2014 album, Good Times. Dotcom released it on Youtube with the autobiographical description: "A fat kid and school dropout from a poor family made his dreams come true. You can do it too."
In Dotcom circles, the video project has taken on an almost mythical character. It's been in the background of everything Dotcom has done since at least 2011, and reveals the extent of the wealth available in his life prior to the 2012 FBI raids.
Those involved in working on the project have spoken of Dotcom insisting on filming takes being done again and again to capture events exactly as he wanted.
Filming shows the 2011 superyacht holiday in the Mediterranean which court papers claim cost US$10 million. It also features Dotcom's extensive car collection, since seized and sold to fund legal and lifestyle costs, and his "race" against co-accused Finn Batato and Formula One legend Kimi Raikkonen on the Nurburgring Norschleife track in Germany.
The $24 million figure would appear to include the cost of the many activities shown being enjoyed by Dotcom and some of those also facing criminal copyright charges in the United States.
More recent footage comes from Dotcom and Grammy winning musician Printz Board performing tracks from the Good Times album, which was panned by reviewers, at the Rhythm and Vines Music Festival.
Lyrics for the track include: "Sleep all day, party all night. Have whatever you want, whenever you like."
Late last year, Dotcom tweeted that the video cost $24 million to make. In his most recent interview, he told the Herald: "It's a side of me that is the playful me, that likes to have fun and does all these crazy things."
The interview was carried out two days before an extradition decision ordering Dotcom and his three New Zealand co-accused to go to the United States to face criminal copyright charges. It us currently being appealed.
Dotcom told the Herald he had intended releasing the video on the day the court ruling was released but was concerned the video was too "over the top" after his involvement in the Internet Mana political movement. The party, almost completely funded by Dotcom, mashed together his fledgling Internet Party with the established Mana Party, which drew voters from New Zealand's poorest communities.
"After you've been through something like Internet Mana, and you've met (the hired leader) Laila Harre and all these people who are fighting for equality, and I met people who are really not well off ... I don't know how they would feel about me putting out that video.
Dotcom said the poverty was not something he had seen "much of ... before I entered that arena and went to all the marae".
"Maybe I'll have to wait a little bit for that. I have to think about that."
Among tweets today, Dotcom wrote: "I'm nervous about releasing the 'Good Life' video. I'm afraid it will be misunderstood. It's about unlocking your potential & motivating you."
- by David Fisher
