21 ms·

How much is Stairway To Heaven worth?

17 points by PankajGhosh 14y ago

ghubbard 14y ago
"Zeppelin has played Stairway at every performance since 1971, yielding somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 in royalties." They have to pay themselves royalties for their own songs? Must be nice to be the middleman in that deal.
- MrVitaliy 14y ago
  It's like being responsible for some major development in iPhone5 at Apple and then going to a store and paying for all the marketing, productions costs by actually buying one.
- GoodIntentions 14y ago
  So I'm wondering - is this mechanism some "Hollywood Accounting" where a band can run a tour at an ostensible loss while paying themselves through a royalties channel? Is it normal to split revenue this way? Anyone who knows the industry care to educate us?
  - objclxt 14y ago
    Whilst there's a lot of Hollywood Accounting going on in the music business, I don't think this is the case here. Firstly, publishing rights aren't always owned by the band themselves. The most famous example of this is probably The Beatles' publishing rights, which were bought by Michael Jackson, and then Sony. Every time Paul McCartney plays a Beatles' song live in his concerts he's going to have to pay some money to Sony, even though he co-wrote it! Bands that do own publishing rights typically set up a limited company to administer them, and songs are frequently co-written. Bands are often obliged by these various agreements to effectively pay themselves (minus the administration cut, etc). The article linked to seems to suggest that Led Zeppelin either co-own the rights with Warner-Chappell, or have them administer them on their behalf. Either way, they'll want their appropriate cut!
jpdoctor 14y ago
Someone has to be that guy: LZ opened for Spirit, so JP heard this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sdbg2is2zQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sdbg2is2zQ
- SparrowOS 14y ago
  Yeah, so God and I do songs. I thought no one was wise enough to realize there was anything wrong. God wants copyrights? God says... while preached inclined 300 hi Trillion mansion morning idols universally unravelied behold manna disordered requitest execute immutable Ivory_Coast encompasseth guilt review colouring wont_you_be_my_neighbor tilde findest recently consistently refreshment truth banquetings hail gambling ills Christian sellers forum fanned horns cabinets addition resolutely manfully examples citizens kindness accomplices mad reclaiming be_happy I_hate_when_that_happens lowlily lucre ARE calf touched unformed contests sky twisted performed unfailingly Ours vessels requirements darksome liar lose PARTICULAR terrible re-making sacrificing fell gambling sad breaking Covetousness revealed maid-servant goes molest omitted Where ba_ha hurriedly Scripture cakes army doubtless soft Reason eagerness white not_good incorporeal same single Sacrament audience shortly foreshow keen capacities falsely uncertainties softening To-day apprehending abstemious assembly new speech overflow encompass
flatfilefan 14y ago
The lady that has bought the stairway some time before 1971 must be a very wealthy person now. I wonder how much would that bustle from her hedgerow net on Sothebis today.

17 points by PankajGhosh 14y ago

"Zeppelin has played Stairway at every performance since 1971, yielding somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000 in royalties." They have to pay themselves royalties for their own songs? Must be nice to be the middleman in that deal.

MrVitaliy 14y ago
It's like being responsible for some major development in iPhone5 at Apple and then going to a store and paying for all the marketing, productions costs by actually buying one.
GoodIntentions 14y ago
So I'm wondering - is this mechanism some "Hollywood Accounting" where a band can run a tour at an ostensible loss while paying themselves through a royalties channel? Is it normal to split revenue this way? Anyone who knows the industry care to educate us?
- objclxt 14y ago
  Whilst there's a lot of Hollywood Accounting going on in the music business, I don't think this is the case here. Firstly, publishing rights aren't always owned by the band themselves. The most famous example of this is probably The Beatles' publishing rights, which were bought by Michael Jackson, and then Sony. Every time Paul McCartney plays a Beatles' song live in his concerts he's going to have to pay some money to Sony, even though he co-wrote it! Bands that do own publishing rights typically set up a limited company to administer them, and songs are frequently co-written. Bands are often obliged by these various agreements to effectively pay themselves (minus the administration cut, etc). The article linked to seems to suggest that Led Zeppelin either co-own the rights with Warner-Chappell, or have them administer them on their behalf. Either way, they'll want their appropriate cut!

jpdoctor 14y ago

Someone has to be that guy: LZ opened for Spirit, so JP heard this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sdbg2is2zQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sdbg2is2zQ

SparrowOS 14y ago
Yeah, so God and I do songs. I thought no one was wise enough to realize there was anything wrong. God wants copyrights? God says... while preached inclined 300 hi Trillion mansion morning idols universally unravelied behold manna disordered requitest execute immutable Ivory_Coast encompasseth guilt review colouring wont_you_be_my_neighbor tilde findest recently consistently refreshment truth banquetings hail gambling ills Christian sellers forum fanned horns cabinets addition resolutely manfully examples citizens kindness accomplices mad reclaiming be_happy I_hate_when_that_happens lowlily lucre ARE calf touched unformed contests sky twisted performed unfailingly Ours vessels requirements darksome liar lose PARTICULAR terrible re-making sacrificing fell gambling sad breaking Covetousness revealed maid-servant goes molest omitted Where ba_ha hurriedly Scripture cakes army doubtless soft Reason eagerness white not_good incorporeal same single Sacrament audience shortly foreshow keen capacities falsely uncertainties softening To-day apprehending abstemious assembly new speech overflow encompass

flatfilefan 14y ago

The lady that has bought the stairway some time before 1971 must be a very wealthy person now. I wonder how much would that bustle from her hedgerow net on Sothebis today.