cnn.com— Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley ceded his crown to Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain on Forbes.com's list as the top-earning dead celebrity.
Oct 24, 2006View in Crawl 4
How about jesus?Hes sold more books than anyone (except ikea appently?) Hes also been famous for the last 2000 years, will we remeber elvis or kurt in that time? I doubt it.
Don't forget, one has been dead for almost 30 years. The other one about 10. If Elvis just recently dropped to the #2 dead celebrity earner... that's still incredibly impressive.
This little news blip is due more to an accident of economics than any sort of cultural trumping. Kurt surpassed Elvis due to one transaction that took place earlier this year - the sale of his publishing rights by Courtney to Primary Wave. That deal was worth either $50 million (or $200 million, depending on who you ask). <a class="user" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2421384,00.html">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2421384,00.html</a>It turns out that none of the Nirvana songs have ever been licensed for use in films or commercials. There's a lot of pent up value there. The sale was a whopper based on a very long-range expectation of return on investment. I expect Elvis to regain his top spot next year.
Closed AccountOct 25, 2006
How about jesus?Hes sold more books than anyone (except ikea appently?) Hes also been famous for the last 2000 years, will we remeber elvis or kurt in that time? I doubt it.
etruscanOct 25, 2006
Don't forget, one has been dead for almost 30 years. The other one about 10. If Elvis just recently dropped to the #2 dead celebrity earner... that's still incredibly impressive.
newevilmindOct 25, 2006
who cares?
pepe1Oct 25, 2006
Elvis is number 2? To Cobain? Now I'm really beginning to feel old.
jessekannerOct 26, 2006
This little news blip is due more to an accident of economics than any sort of cultural trumping. Kurt surpassed Elvis due to one transaction that took place earlier this year - the sale of his publishing rights by Courtney to Primary Wave. That deal was worth either $50 million (or $200 million, depending on who you ask). <a class="user" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2421384,00.html">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2421384,00.html</a>It turns out that none of the Nirvana songs have ever been licensed for use in films or commercials. There's a lot of pent up value there. The sale was a whopper based on a very long-range expectation of return on investment. I expect Elvis to regain his top spot next year.