Sometimes death is a great career move. Well, that’s a line from a movie, but it’s often true. For some reason, a person’s passing makes us think of only the good things about that person; when it comes to music we think it also tends to lead us to believe they were more talent that they probably were. Who made the most money from the grave last year? The list will surprise you.
Michael Jackson and his estate generated around $115 million last year from the earnings of song credits, T-Shirts and music rights. Elvis generated over $55 million in 2015, while Bob Marley and estate earned nearly $22 million dollars.
Those that have died this year will bring more revenue to their surviving family members and estate that perhaps when they were alive. David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Lemmy (from Motorhead), Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland, 3 Dog Nights’ Corey Wells, B.B King and managers Robert Stigwood (Bee Gees) and George Martin (Beatles) will generate additional revenue from the grave.
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