Cobain new highest earning deceased celebrity

[apsham]

Kurt Cobain topples Elvis as highest-paid dead celebrity

Tue Oct 24, 6:17 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - Angst-ridden grunge rocker Kurt Cobain has pushed Elvis into second place in a list of highest-earning dead celebrities, with the late Nirvana frontman raking in 50 million dollars in the past year.

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The Forbes.com website ranks 13 celebrities pushing up daisies on their income and proves that death need not be an obstacle to making money, with the group collectively earning 247 million dollars in the last year.

"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, whose cartoons are syndicated in thousands of newspapers worldwide, came third after earning 35 million dollars, ahead of John Lennon with 24 million and Albert Einstein with 20 million.

The German-born physicist's earnings come from rights to use his famously unkempt image and the Baby Einstein line of educational toys from Walt Disney.

Another cartoonist, creator of the Dr Seuss series Theodor Geisel, ranks seventh, one place behind Andy Warhol but ahead of Ray Charles and Marilyn Monroe, whose likeness continues to pay more than 40 years after her death.

While Elvis, who has been dead for almost 30 years, slipped to number two in the list for the first time since 2001, his estate still managed to earn 42 million dollars in the past 12 months.

J.R.R. Tolkein, the creator of the Lord of the Rings epic, slid three places since last year, but the success of the film trilogy, DVD sales and offshoot merchandise have continued to make a killing for the English writer.

Success of the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" helped the Man in Black avoid going into the red, pulling in eight million dollars for his heirs, while late Beatles guitarist George Harrison and reggae legend Bob Marley both earned some seven million dollars, mostly through CD sales and royalties.

I guess the death controversy really does wonders for sales.

Here's the full list from Forbes:

1. Kurt Cobain

2. Elvis Presley

3. Charles M. Schulz

4. John Lennon

5. Albert Einstein

6. Andy Warhol

7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

8. Ray Charles

9. Marilyn Monroe

10. Johnny Cash

11. J.R.R. Tolkien

12. George Harrison

13. Bob Marley

Edited October 25, 2006 by ApSham has Count Choculitis

[Liam]

Kurt Cobain topples Elvis as highest-paid dead celebrity

Tue Oct 24, 6:17 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - Angst-ridden grunge rocker Kurt Cobain has pushed Elvis into second place in a list of highest-earning dead celebrities, with the late Nirvana frontman raking in 50 million dollars in the past year.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Forbes.com website ranks 13 celebrities pushing up daisies on their income and proves that death need not be an obstacle to making money, with the group collectively earning 247 million dollars in the last year.

"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, whose cartoons are syndicated in thousands of newspapers worldwide, came third after earning 35 million dollars, ahead of John Lennon with 24 million and Albert Einstein with 20 million.

The German-born physicist's earnings come from rights to use his famously unkempt image and the Baby Einstein line of educational toys from Walt Disney.

Another cartoonist, creator of the Dr Seuss series Theodor Geisel, ranks seventh, one place behind Andy Warhol but ahead of Ray Charles and Marilyn Monroe, whose likeness continues to pay more than 40 years after her death.

While Elvis, who has been dead for almost 30 years, slipped to number two in the list for the first time since 2001, his estate still managed to earn 42 million dollars in the past 12 months.

J.R.R. Tolkein, the creator of the Lord of the Rings epic, slid three places since last year, but the success of the film trilogy, DVD sales and offshoot merchandise have continued to make a killing for the English writer.

Success of the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" helped the Man in Black avoid going into the red, pulling in eight million dollars for his heirs, while late Beatles guitarist George Harrison and reggae legend Bob Marley both earned some seven million dollars, mostly through CD sales and royalties.

I guess the death controversy really does wonders for sales.

Or, the fact that they recently had a box set, a greatest hits and various other additions to the Nirvana "back catalogue"....you know, stuff that Nirvana fans will buy irrelevant.

[apsham]

I'm saying most "fans" of Nirvana would not have heard of them or him if it had never happened, but either way I was mostly referring to the fuss about the band that the death kicked up and the various books that have been written... the fact that all the posthumorous stuff could happen because of his death, like the release of his diary. I suppose it was going to happen, there's much more stuff to buy these days related to a younger person like Cobain than Elvis who died years before.

[Liam]

I'm saying most "fans" of Nirvana would not have heard of them or him if it had never happened, but either way I was mostly referring to the fuss about the band that the death kicked up and the various books that have been written... the fact that all the posthumorous stuff could happen because of his death, like the release of his diary. I suppose it was going to happen, there's much more stuff to buy these days related to a younger person like Cobain than Elvis who died years before.

Yeah, but deceased celebrities always get that treatment, and always will. Jeff Buckley had loads of stuff come out this year (books, DVD's, CD re-releases, ....he even has a film coming out next year), Nick Drake as well, Elvis had all his Number 1's in the UK re-released week by week, so its to be expected. As for the diaries thing, there is always loads of books released based on the story of those who die young, that was just an extension of it (you get books about Hendrix, Curtis, etc etc pretty easily)

The difference between a lot of them and Nirvana was that Nirvana's stuff was new, never before heard stuff, so it probably sold pretty well. Naturally, Elvis has been dead quite a few years, and the buzz about Cobain will die down after the same amount of time, though he will still pull in money because whatever people try to suggest, Nirvana were a big band before his death, and will have people buying their old stuff due to it being good as much as anything.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Liam Byrne

[IAceI]

A penny or fifty million dollars, what does it matter to the deceased

[apsham]

The difference between a lot of them and Nirvana was that Nirvana's stuff was new, never before heard stuff, so it probably sold pretty well.

I think I understood what you were saying, but... you're not saying that Elvis's stuff wasn't new and never heard before stuff? Yes well all know where it came from, but it was still a revolution. It all boils down to releases these days and the fact that when people are still buying Nirvana stuff, there's more stuff to buy.

[Liam]

The difference between a lot of them and Nirvana was that Nirvana's stuff was new, never before heard stuff, so it probably sold pretty well.

I think I understood what you were saying, but... you're not saying that Elvis's stuff wasn't new and never heard before stuff? Yes well all know where it came from, but it was still a revolution. It all boils down to releases these days and the fact that when people are still buying Nirvana stuff, there's more stuff to buy.

What I mean is that in a market that has many an Elvis "best of", "live CD" or "greatest hits", the market is kinda saturated. Sure, his stuff will still sell (which as this suggests, it still does by the bucket load), but there aren't as many people who will buy it.

With the Nirvana stuff released this year, there was no saturated market for it, as it was new stuff (well, selected stuff on the Greatest Hits and box sets were new, tied in with stuff that was old). Give us a few more years of the same old, same old getting released as "Greatest Hits" and "Best Ofs", and the sale of Nirvana's stuff won't be as big as it is now.....

...unless, in both cases (Nirvana and Presley), its done in a way to draw in new fans (which CD companies tend to be pretty good at).

Edited October 25, 2006 by Liam Byrne

[MalaCloudy Black]

I'd say "Kurt Cobain should die", but.. you know..

[YI]

APE OF DEATH : PREPARE TO DIE!!!

HOWARD MOON : Aren't I already dead?

APE OF DEATH : Well, well...it hurts more the second time!!

[Rashid]

I'm just surprised Tupac wasn't on the list.

[YI]

I'm just surprised Tupac wasn't on the list.

[Guest B.O.T.A.R.]

I'm surprised Andy Warhol made it that high.

[ILoveNicole]

Now since Kurt made that much money, Courtney Love got it all, and she probably spent it on drugs.

[Liam]

Didn't she sign over some of the rights to the Nirvana stuff to Grohl/Novaselic, because that was what the big deal was about the unreleased music, Love not wanting it to be released and Grohl/Novaselic wanting it.

Since it then got released, I assumed they made some kinda breakthrough.

[ILoveNicole]

I have no clue what the final decision wasi in that case. Even if all 3 of them own the rights.....Courtney still got a crap load of cash that probably went to drugs.

[Ananas]

I'm just surprised Tupac wasn't on the list.

[Hugar Twriker Eats Spam]

Figures this list would be filled with white people and they hold down the black man. Long Dead Tupac, Long Dead Tupac!

[QCKing]

Wasn't it the other way around? I thought Love wanted it released and that was the big problem, since she (or somebody...fuck I forget) owned a majority of the estate, she wanted to release it.

[Lord Nibbler]

I'm just surprised Tupac wasn't on the list.