The more a song is used, the more it’s heard and the more chances to earn royalties it receives. How that use is generated can depend on a number of factors. Most commonly it’s just a factor of sheer popularity. When a popular act releases a hit song, it’s going to generate a lot of plays. But generally, that’s a fleeting spike.
In 1893, the Hill sisters needed a song for their kindergarten class to sing on birthdays. Fast forward 120 years and “Happy Birthday” is by far the richest and most profitable song of all time. The Ownership of “Happy Birthday” has changed hands a few times in the last 100 years.
Bing Crosby’s version is by far the most famous but countless other artists have recorded the song. Crosby’s version is one of the best selling pieces of music in history, with over 100 million copies sold worldwide to date. 1.Hill Sisters – “Happy Birthday” (1893).
It also received a massive re-boot in popularity as part of the soundtrack to the 1986 Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun”. The song would eventually be covered by more than 2200 different artists around the world and become the most played song in radio history. 2. Irving Berlin – “White Christmas” (1940). Estimated earnings: $36 million
What song won Elton John a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1988?
The rewritten version had greater success than the original version. The rewritten version was also known by the title Goodbye England’s Rose. The song won Elton John a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 1988. The song is listed as the second best-selling single of all time.
Whenever a record sells, the songwriter receives 9.1 cents in mechanical-royalty payments. There are also residual royalties from other markets. There are also more ways that songwriters rake in the cash from their writing skills. If the songwriter’s song appears in a movie, TV show, video game or commercial, the artist’s record label will make a deal and the songwriter will get a large amount of the licensing royalties. While some songs are short lived, others go on for years and rake in millions. Here is a look at the 12 highest earning songs of all times.
It’s almost vital to survival that artist. Being successful in the music business takes more than just a great voice. If you want to rake in the big bucks you have to have (or write) the ultimate song. It’s almost vital to survival that artists learn how to write their own songs, but not just any song, a hit song.
Bill Dees did an interview in 2012, just before his death and stated that he was still earning $100-$200 thousand per year in royalties from Oh Pretty Woman, nearly 50 years after he penned it.
The song has been covered by over 2200 different artists and went on to become one of the most played songs in radio history. The song has earned an estimated $32 million.
Crosby’s version of White Christmas is one of the best-selling versions in music history. It sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. The song remains one of the most popular and played Christmas songs in the world. The song has brought in an estimated $36 million.
9 Oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees (1964) One of the best ways to rake in big cash on your songwriting skills is for your song to be part of a movie’s soundtrack, or better yet for it to be the feature song in a blockbuster Hollywood movie.
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What is the richest song of all time?
In 1893, the Hill sisters needed a song for their kindergarten class to sing on birthdays. Fast forward 120 years and “Happy Birthday” is by far the richest and most profitable song of all time.
Sting’s classic song about an unhealthy obsession with a lost love, was one of the biggest hits of 1983 having spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked “Every Breath You Take” at #25 on their list of the top 100 songs of all time.
Roy Orbison & Bill Dees – “Oh Pretty Woman” (1964). Estimated earnings: $19.75 million. As we mentioned above, one of the best ways to make a ton of money off a song is to get it featured in major Hollywood movie. Better yet, get a major Hollywood movie to name itself after your song.
10. Mel Torme – “The Christmas Song” (1944). Estimated earnings: $19 million. You probably know this song by its opening line “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. Ironically, Torme is Jewish and wrote the music and the song in under 45 minutes during a blistering hot Chicago summer.
That’s obviously what happened for Roy Orbison and Bill Dees’ 1964 tune “Oh Pretty Woman “. The song was a huge hit in its own right 25 years before the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts feature film, but clearly the movie is responsible for much of the songs lasting popularity today.
6. Ben E King, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller – “Stand By Me” (1961). Estimated earnings: $27 million. Similar to song #9 on this list, “Stand By Me” was a huge hit in its own time then topped the charts again 20 years later when the movie by the same name was released in 1986.
Songwriting for “Every Breath You Take” is credited 100% to Sting (AKA Gordon Sumner). When Diddy produced his version, he forgot to ask for permission first which allowed Sting to demand and receive an unheard of 100% of the remix’s publishing royalties (the standard would have been 25-50%).
