13 stars earning millions even after death: Forbes rating
'31.10.2019'
Source: Forbes
American Forbes published an annual popularity indicator for celebrities who earn big money even after death. In this year's ranking are two newcomers.
Music remains eternal, even when its creator leaves this mortal world. This proves the creepy, as it should be in Halloween, rating of the highest paid deceased celebrities, where this time nine out of 13 participants are musicians. A year ago there were only six of them.
Sales of physical music carriers continue to fall, but nine artists, including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Nipps Hassle, have gained 15,2 billion plays in the US over the past year - an increase of 38,5% over the previous 12 months. Modern ways of listening to music allow the deceased to start a new career after death.
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“At some point, physical media would simply go out of business,” said David Bacula, Nielsen's Senior Vice President of Analysis and Observation. - This barrier is removed. Now, while you still remember the artist, you have the opportunity to easily listen to his music. ”
13 revenues of dead celebrities practically did not change compared to the previous year, if you do not take into account Michael Jackson's last year’s sudden income of almost $ 300 million from the sale of his share in the music publishing company EMI. This transaction last year increased its total revenue to $ 628 million compared to $ 285 million in 2019. The rating includes not only musicians. For example, Arnold Palmer does not receive streaming revenue.
Read the full list below, which calculates the income of deceased celebrities from October 2018 to October 2019. If you dare.
1. Michael Jackson: $ 60 Million
- Date of death: June 25 2009
- Cause of Death: Overdose / Kill
The number of listening to King of Pop songs has risen sharply: 2,1 billion in the US compared to 1,8 billion a year ago. With profits from the Mijac Music catalog, a Las Vegas show, and a long-term contract with Sony, Jackson retains the title of the highest paid dead celebrity for seven years.
2. Elvis Presley: $ 39 Million
- Date of death: August 16 1977 of the year
- Cause of death: heart attack
For decades, more than 500 000 visitors come to Graceland Manor annually, prompting owners to invest $ 45 million in an extension called Memphis Elvis Presley. Soon there will be a biopic of director Baz Lurman with Tom Hanks in the title role.
3. Charles Schulz: $ 38 Million
- Date of death: February 12 2000
- Cause of death: cancer
Creator Snoopy continues to earn money ahead of the 70 anniversary of the Peanuts comic book franchise. The licensing contract ending this year with Met Life, an insurance company that uses Snoopy's image in advertising, also adds tens of millions to his accounts in eternity.
4. Arnold Palmer: $ 30 Million
- Date of death: September 25 2016
- Cause of death: heart disease
The affairs of the empire of the legendary golfer are doing well thanks to the collaboration with MasterCard and Rolex. It is also worth mentioning the drinks named after the athlete: non-alcoholic, which is produced by the manufacturer Arizona, and the alcoholic version from MolsonCoors.
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5. Bob Marley: $ 20 Million
- Date of death: May 11 1981
- Cause of death: cancer
Marley’s songs have nearly 1 billion plays in the USA. Such popularity allows you to keep afloat products under the House of Marley brand, including headphones, speakers and players.
6. Dr. Seuss: $ 19 Million
- Date of death: September 24 1991
- Cause of death: cancer
Licensing contracts with Hallmark, Universal Studios and other companies have contributed to the growth of the publishing empire, which has sold over 12 million books in the United States over the past 5 months.
7. John Lennon: $ 14 Million
- Date of death: December 8 1980
- Cause of death: murder
The fiftieth anniversary of the release of Abbey Road led to an increase in The Beatles' popularity on streaming services and online. Over the last year, more than 2,2 million album equivalents have been sold - more than any other deceased musician. Lennon’s personal catalog sales increased by 52%.
8. Marilyn Monroe: $ 13 Million
- Date of death: August 5 1962 of the year
- Cause of Death: Overdose
This is one of the most popular late stars when it comes to licensing: Monroe’s piggy bank now has a collection of Zales jewelry, as well as deals with brands like Chanel and Montblanc.
9. Prince: $ 12 million
- Date of death: April 21 2016
- Cause of Death: Overdose
The Purple Rain star continues to sell his songs. Over the year, Prince got 320 000 physical albums sold and half a billion online auditions - that's 12% more than last year.
10. Nipps Hassle: $ 11 Million
- Date of death: March 31 2019
- Cause of death: murder
The business acumen is eternal: Nipsi prudently retained the rights to his works, as a result of which 1,85 billion auditions (the third indicator among the list participants) paid off at a higher rate than any of the living or deceased artists.
11. XXXTentacion: $ 10 Million
- Date of death: June 18 2018
- Cause of death: murder
The level of consumption of his music decreased by 27% compared to last year. But the controversial rapper from South Florida remains the most audited among all the dead celebrities in the United States (5,6 billion plays).
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12. Whitney Houston: $ 9,5 Million
- Date of death: February 11 2012
- Cause of death: drowning
The sale of copyright for half of the singer’s legacy for $ 7 million in May this year, as well as the success of the remix of her Higher Love cover by Kygo, which has already gained over 175 million plays on Spotif, allowed Houston to debut in the ranking.
13. George Harrison: $ 9 Million
- Date of death: November 29 2001
- Cause of death: cancer
Like Lennon, Harrison benefited from the re-release of The Beatles albums, as well as from the Cirque du Soleil show about the gorgeous four in Las Vegas. This allowed him to return to the rating for the first time since 2011.
The annual ranking of the highest paid deceased celebrities takes into account the pre-tax income received from the October 1 of October 2018 of the year to October 1 of 2019 of the year. Forbes compiles a list using data from Nielsen Music, IMDBPro and conversations with industry experts. The fees of agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted from the amount of income given in the ranking.
