Probably asked before, but once again: One hit wonder bands of the 90's: how much $?

[daddymack]

 

Millions from a tv spot = pretty rare and only if you are already a really big star or if your song is already a big hit.

But, that is what we are talking about, a one HIT wonder...that hit, properly licensed could potentially bring in serious $, but sometimes you have to be patient...it may take a nostalgia craze to raise the bar for some songs.

'Logo' music, like what Rudy mentioned, is different, but yes, my mentor wrote the 'logo music' for a local TV station (keep in mind this is Los Angeles), and basically lived off the royalties for decades. Constant variations/versions off the same theme kept the $ coming in.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

when an advertising agency licences an old song as is from our catalogue, the basic fee is $35.000, and in case it is used for broadcasting then plus royalties for the author, of course when they want a Rolling Stones song for a commercial, that cost way more.

 

it would be narrow thinking that a hit song is only a hit song when in the pop charts

 

as daddymack said, there are quite a few more licencing schemata, e.g. selling songs to video production studios for a fixed fee, or a combination of fixed fee plus broadcasting royalties, or licencing a song, well known or old an forgotten, to a movie etc.

[Ronan Murphy]

 

Of course, if the band still owes the record company money, which is likely if they were a one hit wonder, they likely aren't going to see any of it until the record company recoups their investment.

 

 

Unless they also did a publishing deal with the recording company, record companies do not traditionally share in radio broadcast royalties. (that is changing with modern 360 deals that are becoming typical)

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

The common author/publishing share worldwide is 70% author/30% publisher.

 

In the US the common author/publishing share is 50% author/50% publisher.

 

When the record company does not insist on publishing shares, then all goes to the author.

 

It makes no beneficial sense for the author to sign a publishing agreement, except the publisher actively generates additional profit, e.g. by having a team which licences the music to all possible outlets.

[gtrjones]

95 or so, Fastball... from Austin, had a 'hit'. with 'The Way'. The songwriter had an interview in our local paper, and basically said that after a year of touring, and pretty strong sales, they still owed the record company money for the record and (I'm sure, especially) the marketing costs. That record sold over 1M copies, and the band did fairly well with airplay and concert revenues, but prolly didn't get a lot from 'sales'.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

 

95 or so, Fastball... from Austin, had a 'hit'. with 'The Way'. The songwriter had an interview in our local paper, and basically said that after a year of touring, and pretty strong sales, they still owed the record company money for the record and (I'm sure, especially) the marketing costs. That record sold over 1M copies, and the band did fairly well with airplay and concert revenues, but prolly didn't get a lot from 'sales'.

 

 

 

That was an expensive Mambo rock single to produce, and the MV very likely also did cost more then 1 million.

 

 

[video=youtube;b0wfu3tOrtQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0wfu3tOrtQ

[ApolloRoyalin]

 

I heard that Sting earns $2k a day in royalties just from Every Breath You Take. Not a one hit wonder but I thought I would see if anybody wanted to confirm that.

 

 

interesting, though it sounds a bit much