I heard on the radio today that Kurt Cobain was ranked the top earning dead celebrity, taking the spot of Elvis Presley. I found these articles on the internet:
http://launch.yahoo.com/read/news/36674376
http://contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/cobain%20tops%20dead%20earners%20list_1011793
This kind of makes me think of the discussion on here in the past about great artists fading off. Elvis brought rock and roll to the world, looks like he's slipping away. Mind you, Bach, Betohven and all them are pretty big but not high grossing in this day in age, so I guess it's not surprising.
Not suprisingly I thought of you earlier when I read that article. I am a huge Presley fan, cause of my mother, but I was excited to see the news,
Jim
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
It's a one year change based entirely on the fact that Cobain's estate sold off a huge interest in his works to a publishing company. Since they can't do that every year, next year he'll be off the list again . . .
Elvis, Ray Charles, and the other eternal icons are gonna hang around a lot longer.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
I remember (NOT) when Glenn Miller was the top selling artist....Then it was Frank Sinatra( I'm guessing here) then the Fab Four. I'm glad that Nirvana has taken this honor 8) Like I have said befor..they saved us from "Hair Metal" God bless Kurt Cobain :D
Ya it had nothing to do with a rise in popularity, Courtney Love sold off 25% of the publishing rights for 50 Million, its a one year thing for him, Elvis's estate brought in 42 Million this year and 45 million last and has been #1 on the list every year since Forbes started the list 6 years ago, and will return to #1 again next year cos she prolly won't make another sale like that.
It would be nice if the media would be somewhat accurate, but they go out of thier way to tear down an old Icon with a misleading headline...kinda sad actually.
Scott
I havn't found my tone yet, and I have no mojo....but I'm working on it :)
Not sad that the list changed, sad that the media doesn't take accuracy very seriously on most topics, not just this one.
Scott
I havn't found my tone yet, and I have no mojo....but I'm working on it :)
30 years after his death, "Elvis" earned $42 million in one year and over $30 million a year, every year, since 1977 - dethroned? I don't think so.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
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Beethoven would earn a whole lot more if there were still copyright on his music. An Elvis Presly disc still costs up to $20 whereas you can buy all kinds of '100 essential Mozart discs' for under a $100. Those poor souls have to sell over twenty times as much while having been dead many times longer.
Im going to shoot myself when John Mayer becomes number one.
Who?
:D
When you see black velvet paintings of Kurt, then he will be the King. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
When you see black velvet paintings of Kurt, then he will be the King.
Pfft, I have done paintings of Kurt.
Anyway, wasn't meant to shoot down Elvis, the thread title just sounded clever so I wrote it
I think Elvis was great in the beginning but after he started making those silly ( mostly) movies he was no longer the king IMHO. Don't get me wrong, he played a very big part in rock-n-roll history but I think he pretty much made his major contribution before he went in the army.
Thats true I think, but it's prolly true for most performers at least in the rock world, they broke new ground or made thier impact in the first few years of they're career....
Scott
I havn't found my tone yet, and I have no mojo....but I'm working on it :)
