ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Music Quiz: how much money has Stairway to Heaven made in royalty payments?

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-20-2016, 03:57 PM

Okay, as I had assumed, the revenues reported by the article in the OP are extremely overstated.

http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...source=twitter

Michael Einhorn told jurors in federal court in Los Angeles that songwriters Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have received $58.5 million since 2011 for dozens of works, including “Stairway,” their band’s 1971 hit and most recognizable song.

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Even if we extrapolate that figure over the course of 37 years, it equals $440 million dollars, which is far shy from the $575 million stated in the OP article, which supposedly was for Stairway only.

Add to that, I can certainly guarantee that the majority of Zeppelin's overall royalty and album sales earnings were garnered in the past 15 years, not the first 22, with the bulk coming from the remasters. As I mentioned earlier, Statutory Rate for an album released in 1971 was 2 cents per song whereas an album released in 2007 would have paid 9.1 cents per song. It's likely that they negotiated a much higher percentage than the 14% earned from each unit sale in 1971, probably 21% or more, which is generally allocated to "Superstar" acts.

I'd approximate that the band earned $10.5 million from the sale of Motherload (5 million copies times $9.99 times a 21% royalty rate) while the album overall earned nearly $50 million.

Zeppelin didn't allow their music to be used in Film & TV early in their career, with Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous, the first allowed to do so. They earned tens of millions for the Cadillac advertising campaign and apparently, a minimum of $10 million in sync fees in the past few years.

I would estimate that their overall career earnings from mechanical and performance income is closer to $275-350 million, which is still a staggering number but no where near the $575 million reportedly for a single song.

06-20-2016, 03:57 PM	#105
DaneMcCloud Supporter Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hollywood, CA Casino cash: $10053648	Okay, as I had assumed, the revenues reported by the article in the OP are extremely overstated. http://www.billboard.com/biz/article...source=twitter Michael Einhorn told jurors in federal court in Los Angeles that songwriters Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have received $58.5 million since 2011 for dozens of works, including “Stairway,” their band’s 1971 hit and most recognizable song. --- Even if we extrapolate that figure over the course of 37 years, it equals $440 million dollars, which is far shy from the $575 million stated in the OP article, which supposedly was for Stairway only. Add to that, I can certainly guarantee that the majority of Zeppelin's overall royalty and album sales earnings were garnered in the past 15 years, not the first 22, with the bulk coming from the remasters. As I mentioned earlier, Statutory Rate for an album released in 1971 was 2 cents per song whereas an album released in 2007 would have paid 9.1 cents per song. It's likely that they negotiated a much higher percentage than the 14% earned from each unit sale in 1971, probably 21% or more, which is generally allocated to "Superstar" acts. I'd approximate that the band earned $10.5 million from the sale of Motherload (5 million copies times $9.99 times a 21% royalty rate) while the album overall earned nearly $50 million. Zeppelin didn't allow their music to be used in Film & TV early in their career, with Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous, the first allowed to do so. They earned tens of millions for the Cadillac advertising campaign and apparently, a minimum of $10 million in sync fees in the past few years. I would estimate that their overall career earnings from mechanical and performance income is closer to $275-350 million, which is still a staggering number but no where near the $575 million reportedly for a single song.
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