CLASSIFICATIONS
Deceased musicians who produced the most earnings in 2022
The well-known US magazine Forbes has compiled the ranking of artists who, although dead, have been able to generate the greatest profit during 2022 thanks to their musical legacy.
Forbes monitors the profits and earnings generated by singers who have died since 2001: this year the total sum of revenues is the highest ever.
This is the methodology applied by Forbes: the ranking includes gross earnings from sales, licensing agreements and other sources, in the period between November 1, 2021 and October 30, 2022.
The methodology used by Forbes
The well-known US magazine Forbes has compiled the ranking of artists who, although dead, have been able to generate the greatest profit during 2022 thanks to their musical legacy and beyond. Forbes monitors the profits and earnings generated by singers who have died since 2001: This year, the total sum of revenues is the highest ever. This is the methodology applied by Forbes: the ranking includes gross earnings from sales, licensing agreements and other sources, in the period between November 1, 2021 and October 30, 2022.
Steve Mathieson, Wikimedia Commons
George Harrison (1943-2001) – $12 million
The former member of the Beatles has made money thanks to the documentary The Beatles: Get Back, in addition to the royalties derived from his career both as a solo artist and with the original group of Liverpool.
John Lennon (1940-1980) – $16 million
Similar speech to George Harrison also for the other deceased member of the Beatles: although 42 years have passed since the death of John Lennon, the heirs of the singer-songwriter have received profitable earnings thanks to The Beatles: Get Back and music produced both solo and with Fab Four.
Juan Gabriel (1950-2016) – $23 million
Juan Gabriel was one of Mexico's most prolific composers and singers, capable in his glorious career of writing and performing some 1,800 songs. The musician also won two Latin Grammy Award.
Knieps Oliver, Wikimedia Commons
Jeff Porcaro (1954-1992) – $25 million
Historical drummer of Toto, Jeff Porcaro is considered a legend of music. 30 years after his death, his musical production has yielded 25 million dollars: in fact, not everyone knows that it was he who kept the rhythm in the best-selling album of all time, Thriller of Michael Jackson.
Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) – $55 million
The name of Cohen is inextricably linked to his famous song Hallelujah, whose rights were purchased by Hipgnosis, a publicly traded music management and intellectual property company.
Michael Jackson (1958-2009) – $75 million
The music of the King of Pop is more alive than ever, and to generate substantial earnings for Michael Jackson was also the show of the Cirque du Soleil dedicated to him, staged in Las Vegas.
James Brown (1933-2006) – $100 million
The father of the Soul has ceded his rights to Primary Wave, an independent music publisher: James Brown's assets are used in part to finance academic scholarships for children in need.
Elvis Presley (1935-1977) – $110 million
The King of rock ‘n’ roll has been dead for many years, but his myth is immortal. In particular, to still generate immense earnings is Graceland, his historic villa, which can currently be visited by tourists. But even today, even the merchandising linked to Elvis generates immense revenues all over the world.
David Bowie (1947-2016) – $250 million
In first place among the deceased musicians who have yielded more earnings is The Thin White Duke. Generating a profit of 250 million dollars for the heirs of Bowie was the sale of the entire music catalog of the singer-songwriter to Warner Chappell, a commercial operation that took place in January 2022.
Rankings
01/10/2023
What may have been the best-selling single in the entire history of music? This record belongs to an obviously very famous song, composed many decades ago but still very topical. We hear it every year, as do all the top 10 best-selling songs of all time.
The calculation has been split in two, due to the advent of technology, downloads and Spotify streaming, which have 'drugged' the market and made the previous charts truly obsolete. This calculation was therefore split between physical single sales and digital sales. Here we will only deal with sales of physical singles, and therefore you will not find the most recent songs.
This is a compendium of the best-selling music singles. The criterion for inclusion is to sell at least ten million copies worldwide. The singles listed here have been quoted from reliable sources in various media, such as digital journalism, newspapers, magazines and books.
Enough, after this preamble we won't keep you waiting any longer, your curiosity will already be tingling: here are the 10 best-selling physical singles in music history.