Happy Birthday To You
The song "Happy Birthday to You" is the best known song in the world and generates over $2 million in royalties each year for its copyright owners. The original author of the words to the song is unknown; however, the current owner is AOL Time Warner, who receives licensing revenues through the ASCAP. The music itself was written in 1893, and due to multiple copyright extensions, will remain so until at least 2030. In 1989, when Time Warner first purchased the piece, movie licenses for the song were going from anywhere between “a few thousand” to $50,000. One reason the owner, Birchtree Ltd., decided to sell the copyright ownership was because they did not have a large enough unit dedicated to monitor its usage in new media. This became key in maximizing financial benefit, because previous owners failed to go after those who used the song without license for over 20 years.
Read more about this topic: Music Licensing
Famous quotes containing the words happy and/or birthday:
“Because Time cannot alter but obey Fate’s laws.
[Chorus:] Then happy those whom Fate, that is the stronger,
Together twists their threads, and yet draws hers the longer.”
—Aurelian Townshend (c. 1583–c.1651)
“Although I’m trying very hard
To sound unlike a birthday card,
That’s all this is: so you may find it
Full of all that lies behind it
Admiration; friendship too;
And hope that in the future you
Reap ever richer revenue.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)