I would imagine it’s every songwriter’s dream to have that one song…the one that makes retirement possible.
Celebrity Net Worth had an article about that recently, you can find the link to it HERE.
According to them, here is the Top 10 biggest money making songs of all time – in US Dollars:
10. Mel Torme – “Christmas Song” (1944). Estimated earnings: $25 million.
9. Roy Orbison & Bill Dees – “Oh Pretty Woman” (1964). Estimated earnings: $30 million
8. Sting – “Every Breath You Take” (1983). Estimated earnings: $35 million
7. Haven Gillespie & Fred J Coots – “Santa Claus is coming to town” (1934). Estimated earnings: $45 million
6. Ben E King, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller – “Stand By Me” (1961). Estimated earnings: $50 million
5. Alex North & Hy Zaret – “Unchained Melody” (1955). Estimated earnings: $55 million
4. John Lennon and Paul McCartney – “Yesterday” (1965). Estimated earnings: $60 million
3. Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Phil Specter – “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” (1964). Estimated earnings: $65 million
2. Irving Berlin – “White Christmas” (1940). Estimated earnings: $66 million
1.Hill Sisters – “Happy Birthday” (1893). Estimated earnings: $70 million
Most people have no idea that the song you sing at every birthday party ever is copyrighted material. The song was written by a pair of sisters who were kindergarten teachers. Ownership of the song has traded hands several times over the last century. In 1990 Warner Chappell paid $15 million for the rights. Technically it’s illegal to sing “Happy Birthday” in a large group of unrelated people (like an office party) without paying a royalty to the current copyright holder Warner Music Group (which is owned by a private corporate conglomerate called Access Industries). Today the song brings in $2 million a year in royalties ($5000 per day). It costs $25,000 to use the song in a movie or TV show which explains why you often see the characters sing an odd, amalgamated version on screen. This also explains why chain restaurants sing their own custom songs for a guest’s birthday. The copyright for “Happy Birthday” expires in 2030 in the United States and 2016 in the European Union, at which point we can all finally sing Happy Birthday without writing a royalty check.
