Surprisingly, there aren’t many resources out there listing royalties earned by songs. There are variations of a top-ten list that have floated around since at least 2014 (see sources at bottom of page) but that’s about it. This page lists twelve songs which have earned $30 million or more and then lists high-selling songs which may be in that bracket as well. Songs with royalty information are listed by songwriters and not the performers. Songs with numbers of copies sold are listed by the performers. Note that earnings and number of copies sold are often estimates.
Check other lists based on charts, sales, and airplay here.
Songs with Royalties of $30 Million or More:
- “Happy Birthday to You” by the Hill Sisters (1893). Earnings: $70 million
- “White Christmas” (1942) by Irving Berlin (1942). Earnings: $66 million, copies sold: 52 million
- “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector (1964). Earnings: $65 million
- “Yesterday” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney (1965). Earnings: $60 million
- “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey & Walter Afanasieff (1994). Earnings: $60 million, copies sold: 16 million
- “Unchained Melody” by Alex North, Hy Zaret (1955). Earnings: $55 million
- “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, Elmo Glick, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller (1961). Earnings: $50 million
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town by Haven Gillespie & Fred J. Coots (1934). Earnings: $50 million
- “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1944). Earnings: $45 million
- “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney (1979). Earnings: $40 million
- “Every Breath You Take” by Sting (1983). Earnings: $35 million
- “(Oh) Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison & Bill Dees (1964). Earnings: $30 million
Other High-Selling Songs But Royalties Unknown:
- “Shape of You” performed by Ed Sheeran (2017). Copies sold: 42 million
- “Despacito” performed by Luis Fonsi with Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber (2017). Copies sold: 38 million
- “Candle in the Wind 1997” performed by Elton John (1997). Copies sold: 33 million
- “In the Summertime” performed by Mungo Jerry (1970). Copies sold: 31 million
- “Silent Night” written by Joseph Mohr (1818). Copies sold: 30 million
- “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” performed by Bill Haley & His Comets (1955). Copies sold: 25 million
- “I Will Always Love You” performed by Whitney Houston (1992). Copies sold: 24 million
- “Something Just Like This” performed by The Chainsmokers with Coldplay (2017). Copies sold: 23 million
- “It’s Now or Never” performed by Elvis Presley (1960). Copies sold: 22 million
- “Perfect” performed by Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé (2017). Copies sold: 22 million
- “We Are the World” performed by U.S.A. for Africa (1985). Copies sold: 20 million
- “If I Didn’t Care” by the Ink Spots(1939). Copies sold: 19 million
- “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” performed by Baccara (1977). Copies sold: 18 million
- “My Heart Will Go On” performed by Celein Dion (1997). Copies sold: 18 million
- “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” performed by Bryan Adams (1991). Copies sold: 15 million
- “You’re the One That I Want” by Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (1978). Copies sold: 15 million
- “Wind of Change” performed by the Scorpions (1991). Copies sold: 14 million
- “Sweet Mother” performed by Prince Nico Mbarga (1976). Copies sold: 13 million
- Sukiyaki” performed by Kyu Sakamoto (1963). Copies sold: 13 million
- “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by Gene Autry (1949). Copies sold: 12.5 million
- “I Want to Hold Your Hand” performed by The Beatles (1963). Copies sold: 12 million
- Time to Say Goodbye” performed by Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman (1995). Copies sold: 12 million
- “Y.M.C.A.” performed by the Village People (1978). Copies sold: 12 million
Resources/Related Links:
First posted 9/14/2023.
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