Elvis Presley's music royalties are split between Sony Music (RCA Records) for the master recordings (especially pre-1973) and the Elvis Presley Estate (now managed by Riley Keough) for post-1973 recordings and publishing, with different rights for the song composition (publishers/songwriters) and the actual sound recording (masters). Sony owns most recordings due to a controversial 1973 deal where Elvis sold his back catalog rights, but the Estate controls post-1973 masters and licenses much of the brand.
The RCA Records Label was bought by BMG in the 1980s and in 2004 BMG merged with Sony Music Entertainment to become Sony BMG. Sony BMG owns Elvis' recordings and they continue to use the RCA Records label for issuing Elvis releases. They also have a special Elvis collectors label, Follow That Dream Records.
Shaquille O'Neal invested over $135 Million in Authentic Brands Group to gain ownership of a percentage of the brand management company that controls Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Marilyn Monroe's intellectual property.
Despite taking 50 per cent of all the profits from Elvis' career, Parker was no less gullible than the 'rubes' whom he delighted in exploiting in his carnival days. The Colonel himself ended up being the greatest sucker of them all, giving back almost his entire fortune to the Hilton croupiers.
The Michael Jackson estate finally sold his 50% stake of the catalog back to Sony in 2016 for $750 million. It included publishing rights to music by The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and more.
Paris Jackson has received approximately $65 million in benefits from her late father Michael Jackson's estate, a figure revealed during her ongoing legal dispute with the estate's executors over transparency and management fees. While she's received substantial funds, Paris has challenged the executors, questioning large bonuses paid to law firms and alleging a lack of transparency, leading to court filings where she seeks more open accounting of the vast fortune.
It's a debate with no single answer, as Elvis Presley was bigger in US chart dominance (114 Top 40 hits vs. MJ's 36) and pioneering rock, while Michael Jackson achieved greater global reach, international tours, and broader multimedia influence (music videos, dance). Both are among the biggest artists ever, selling over a billion records, but Elvis was the original King of Rock, while Jackson became the King of Pop with unparalleled global cultural saturation.
How Much Money Did Priscilla Presley Get in Her Divorce From Elvis Presley? After her 1973 divorce from Elvis, Priscilla received a one-time payment of $725,000 and five percent of Elvis' royalties. She also received spousal support and child support for their late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.
Dolly Parton refused to let Elvis Presley record her song, "I Will Always Love You," because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half the publishing rights, which Parton would not give up, believing the song was her most important copyright and retirement fund. Although Elvis loved the song and sang it to Priscilla Presley after their divorce, the deal fell through due to Parker's insistence on the publishing cut, a decision Parton later recognized as prescient when Whitney Houston made the song a global phenomenon.
Still, although Elvis once said he loved Parker “like a father,” the pair certainly had their share of disagreements. In fact, the pair's relationship nearly ended for good in September 1973 after a late-night concert gone wrong.
ABG owns more than 50 consumer brands, as well as the likeness rights or estates of celebrities, including Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe.
She continued, "Michael was a manipulative man, and I think he had his sights set on her long before she realized it. The childlike innocence he projected was part of his public mask." Priscilla claims Jackson needed “good publicity” after he was accused of child molestation, which he had always denied.
The March 1973 Deal
The deal was made. RCA paid $5.4 million, which Elvis and the Colonel split 50-50. That meant Elvis no longer got (EPE today does not get) his artist's royalties for the ongoing sales of any recordings created before the March 1973 deal.
Lisa Marie Presley inherited Graceland after she turned 25 years old. Following Lisa Marie's death on January 12, 2023, her eldest daughter, Riley Keough, became the sole trustee and owner.
Michael Jackson takes control of the Beatles' publishing rights. On August 14, 1985, King of Pop Michael Jackson purchases the publishing rights to the vast majority of the Beatles' catalog for $47 million.
Shaquille O'Neal, also known as Shaq, has a stake in the rights to the names of several famous people, including Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jackson. He is the second largest shareholder of Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which manages the rights to these names.
Oprah's grandmother's last name is Presley.
Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe apparently had a clandestine affair. Tons of tabloids and biographers have claimed that the two icons engaged in a secret romantic relationship in their time. According to these accounts, it was an on-and-off thing that continued sporadically over the years.
Elvis Presley's most controversial song wasn't just one track, but "Hound Dog," particularly his 1956 Milton Berle Show performance, sparked outrage for his suggestive hip-shaking, leading to him being dubbed "Elvis the Pelvis" and censored on TV. Other controversial songs included "Jailhouse Rock," criticized for glorifying crime, and later tracks like "In the Ghetto," which addressed poverty, challenging his image and fanbase.
“When it comes to estate earnings… It's MJ, then an enormous canyon, then everybody else.” For comparison, Elvis Presley's estate ranks second with $1.2 billion, despite having a 32-year head start. Rather impressively, Elvis has been on the list every year since Forbes began recording the list.
At the time of his death, the King of Rock and Roll was in debt. He had a net worth of $US5 million ($A7. 7 million), but owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) double that amount. The singer's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, shared her struggle to retain Graceland.
In addition to the property, Lisa Marie received $US100 million ($A150 million). But due to mismanagement and bad investments, she said almost all of the money soon disappeared. Since Elvis almost lost Graceland due to his debts, Lisa Marie was determined the property would not suffer the same fate.
Michael Jackson's Wikipedia page, People.com article, Reddit post, Tyla article, YouTube video, YouTube video, Facebook post, Michael Jackson's Legacy website Michael Jackson's final words, as reported during his doctor Conrad Murray's trial, were pleas for "milk," which was his nickname for the powerful anesthetic Propofol. He reportedly told Murray, "I'd like to have some milk," and "Please, please give him some milk" because it was the only way he could sleep, leading to the fatal overdose that ended his life in 2009.
As to be expected, due to his far greater number of total chart entries, Elvis has the advantage over The Beatles in most performance categories. Presley placed 102 titles in Billboard's top 40, while The Beatles had 50 entries that made it that far up the chart. In the top 20, Elvis had 61 songs and The Beatles 37.
Elvis called Roy Orbison the “greatest singer in the world.” Covering one of the best vocalists of all time is a worthy challenge.