Misleading article IMO. Most of the long-term money making songs they reference are very old. Songs from previous eras had radio longevity and replay value (classic rock, oldies, etc.).

In the current market, there is a huge income spike for about 1 - 1/2 years, then it drops way down. The reason? Songs aren't being played as recurrents the way older songs were. You're more likely to hear a hit from the 80s, 90s, or even early 2000's on the radio than a song that was a hit just a couple of years ago.

I don't know of any writers who retired off of one hit - you need an abundance of cuts, and maybe a handful of hits, to retire comfortably....unless you took every penny you made and invested it immediately in something with a pretty substantial return.

One of my best friends & co-writers is a Hall Of Fame songwriter, with double-digit hits to his credit. He has mentioned to me on many occasions that his royalties are drying up and it's concerning for him as he nears retirement that they won't generate enough for him to live on. Again, that's multiple hit songs.

So unless you wrote a massive, massive hit - and wrote it by yourself - no, I absolutely do not believe you can retire off the royalties from one hit song.

*edit* I would further point out that song royalties are subject to self employment tax. Since most of the money comes in during approximately one calendar year, the tax rate can be as high as 45-49%. Uncle Sam takes a big chunk out of those royalties.

Last edited by Roger Brown; 05/28/20 05:05 AM.
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