Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1George LucasGeorge LucasLucas retained ownership of Lucasfilm and built Star Wars into a business spanning films, games, books and merchandise. Disney's 2012 acquisition announcement identified him as its sole shareholder; the completed transaction cost roughly $4.1 billion in cash and shares. That bought an operating…0i
  2. 2Tyler PerryTyler PerryPerry's wealth story centres on retaining a library of work, rather than collecting an acting fee each time Madea appears. Forbes's 2020 investigation described his ownership of the content he had created and the continuing value of television episodes, films and stage productions. Distribution…0i
  3. 3J. K. RowlingJ. K. RowlingBorn 31 Jul 1965Rowling's Harry Potter books generated an expanding set of publishing, digital and adaptation revenues. The ownership is divided: her legal notices distinguish her publishing and stage rights from Warner Bros.' film-related rights, while Pottermore distributes the digital books. That distinction is…0i
  4. 4Andrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd WebberBorn 22 Mar 1948Lloyd Webber turned a repertoire of musicals into a continuing rights business. His Really Useful Group, renamed LW Entertainment in 2025, manages the catalogue across entertainment formats; licensed productions provide opportunities far beyond an original West End run. The company's published…0i
  5. 5Dolly PartonDolly PartonBorn 19 Jan 1946Parton famously declined a proposed Elvis Presley recording of I Will Always Love You when the deal required surrendering half its publishing. Whitney Houston's later recording demonstrated the value of retaining the composition's rights. The songwriter could earn from another performer's…0i
  6. 6Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneyBorn 18 Jun 1942McCartney became an investor in music publishing as well as a celebrated songwriter. MPL's catalogue includes music by Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and major musical-theatre writers alongside McCartney's own work. Buying rights to songs he admired created income opportunities from other artists'…0i
  7. 7Michael JacksonMichael JacksonBorn 29 Aug 1958Jackson's publishing investments extended far beyond his own hits. His interest in Sony/ATV represented ownership in a large portfolio of other writers' songs; after his death, Sony acquired the estate's remaining 50% in 2016 for $750 million, including previously committed distributions. That was…0i
  8. 8Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftBorn 13 Dec 1989Swift made ownership part of her recording strategy by creating new versions of earlier albums, giving her a separate set of recordings to control. In May 2025 she announced that she had also bought the original masters of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital; the price was not disclosed.…0i
  9. 9Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBorn 23 Sept 1949Springsteen sold both his recorded catalogue and his songwriting catalogue in agreements announced by Sony in December 2021. Sony Music Publishing partnered with Eldridge on the publishing acquisition. These were two distinct assets: the songs and particular recordings of them. Their sale converted…0i
  10. 10Bob DylanBob DylanBorn 24 May 1941Dylan's catalogue deals make the separation between songs and recordings especially clear. Universal Music Publishing acquired his songwriting catalogue in 2020, covering more than 600 copyrights. Sony separately acquired his recorded catalogue in a transaction concluded in July 2021 and announced…0i