Cobain - top earning dead guy

[nfotiu]

I found this kind of surprising:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-1...s_x.htm?csp=34

Maybe I just don't listen to the right radio stations, but I thought Nirvana had kind of faded away popularity wise. Where is all that money coming from?

[Igottago]

wow, he dethroned the King...so what about guys like 2Pac and Notorious BIG, who still release albums every month? I would've thought they'd be making way more. Where is all the Nirvana money coming from? CJAY 92?

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by Igottago

wow, he dethroned the King...so what about guys like 2Pac and Notorious BIG, who still release albums every month? I would've thought they'd be making way more. Where is all the Nirvana money coming from? CJAY 92?

Not even.. they're too busy playing garbage like "Lips of an Angel" 50 times an hour to fit anything else in the rotation.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Igottago

wow, he dethroned the King...so what about guys like 2Pac and Notorious BIG, who still release albums every month? I would've thought they'd be making way more. Where is all the Nirvana money coming from? CJAY 92?

His old lady sold a chunk of the Nirvana catalog to some company, so this is probably a one time thing.

Imagine how much loot Dave Grohl has if the dead guy can bring in this much cash.

[Burninator]

Too bad that crazy Courtney Love is getting most of those earnings. I'm sure her drug dealers don't mind.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Too bad that crazy Courtney Love is getting most of those earnings. I'm sure her drug dealers don't mind.

I'm sure her doctors are already compensated adequately.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I found this kind of surprising:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-1...s_x.htm?csp=34

Maybe I just don't listen to the right radio stations, but I thought Nirvana had kind of faded away popularity wise. Where is all that money coming from?

Song writing royalties mostly. Every time your songs get played on radio, or at a bar, a wedding, or covered by another band, you are theoretically entitled to royalties.

Sting gets something like $2,000/ day for Every Breath You Take. If you can write just one big hit song, you will be set for life.

http://imdb.com/name/nm0001776/bio

Sting takes in an average of $2000.00 per day in royalties for this now 20 year old song "Every Breath You Take." The song is officially the most requested radio song of all time.

This is why many successful bands break up - because they don't share the song-writing credits.

http://www.stuffo.com/music-royalties.htm
How Music Royalties Work

http://music.einnews.com/news/music-royalties

http://www.iwritethesongs.com/articl..._royalties.cfm

[Deelow]

Originally Posted by Igottago

wow, he dethroned the King...so what about guys like 2Pac and Notorious BIG, who still release albums every month? I would've thought they'd be making way more. Where is all the Nirvana money coming from? CJAY 92?

Ha.
CJAY's Nirvana content is limted to Come As You Are and Teen Spirit. It would serve them well to play more Nirvana and less Van Halen.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Deelow

It would serve them well to play more Nirvana and less Van Halen.

BURN THE HERETIC!

[Deelow]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

His old lady sold a chunk of the Nirvana catalog to some company, so this is probably a one time thing.

Imagine how much loot Dave Grohl has if the dead guy can bring in this much cash.

I read that 80% if the Nirvana royalty went to Cobain. The other two split the table scraps. Sort of sad I suppose, but they were his songs. I would be interested to see the net worth on a guy like Grohl though.

[troutman]

An older story:

Elvis still 'king of royalties'


Elvis Presley heads a list of top-earning dead celebrities compiled by business magazine Forbes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4384286.stm

Smells Like New Revenue

http://www.forbes.com/home/digitalen...24nirvana.html

While it is now commonplace for musicians to make money by selling their work for use in television shows, movies and advertising campaigns, it’s hard to imagine someone less likely to go down that route than Cobain.

His widow, Courtney Love, has sold a 25% stake in Nirvana's song catalog to Primary Wave Music Publishing. And with Love's blessing, Primary Wave is exploring licensing opportunities for Cobain's music.

http://www.forbes.com/2006/10/23/tec...ties_land.html

[troutman]

The best paid young celebrities:

http://www.forbes.com/digitalenterta...ungcelebs.html

Of the nine 25-and-unders on Forbes' annual listing of the World's Most Powerful Celebrities, four are athletes. Together, LeBron James, Maria Sharapova, Michelle Wie and Serena Williams garnered 50% of a collective $141 million earned last year.

The celebrity 100:

http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/12/06c...list_land.html

1. Tom Cruise
2. Rolling Stones
3. Oprah Winfrey
4. U2
5. Tiger Woods
6. Steven Spielberg
7. Howard Stern
8. 50 Cent
9. Cast of The Sopranos
10. Dan Brown

Rolling Stone - Top 50 Money Makers (2004);

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...8/money_makers

Top Tours (2005):

http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnew...8&PSKey=GREDAY

[pope04]

Originally Posted by troutman

The best paid young celebrities:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen made $40 million, despite no movies since 2004. I had no idea.