science | January 15, 2026

What is the most expensive song ever produced?

As of January 2018, the most expensive music video ever made was 'Scream' by Michael and Janet Jackson, which cost seven million U.S. dollars to produce.

What is the most expensive single ever recorded?

Elvis Presley: 'My Happiness' - $300,000

His studio and label Third Man specialises is vintage recording techniques and unusual vinyl releases, so it's perhaps not too much of surprise to learn that he is the proud owner of one of the three most expensive records in the world.

What song has the most expensive rights?

It's actually THE most expensive song to license. So what is it? It's AC/DC's “Thunderstruck”. The producers of “Varsity Blues” paid $500,000 to use it, and that was all the way back in 1999.

What was the most expensive music video ever made?

1. 'Scream' More than a quarter-century later, “Scream” still holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive music video ever made. According to Business Insider, “Scream” tipped the financial scales with a 13-piece set, a $65,000 CGI spaceship and $175,000 spent on lighting alone.

What is the most expensive piece of music?

Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin Album: $2,672,000

It was secretly recorded over six years and is the most expensive work of music ever sold. The album was bought by notorious “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli.

Top 20 Insanely Expensive Music Videos

What is the rarest 45 record?

There are only two known copies of Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), a rare 45-rpm Northern soul track by Frank Wilson, one of which sold for $37,000 in 2009. But the fact that only two copies of the original 7” on the Soul label have ever materialised has long made it the holy grail of Northern soul collecting.

How much is a Beatles record worth?

The Beatles – The Beatles (the "White Album") (Parlophone UK album, 1968) – Ringo Starr's personal copy (No. 0000001) was sold for $790,000 in December 2015, according to Rolling Stone. This is the highest price ever paid for an album that has been commercially released.

What is the most expensive thing in the world?

You will be surprised to know that the most expensive thing made on the earth is in fact out of the planet. According to a report in CNBC, the International Space Station (ISS) is the most expensive ever created on the planet earth. The value of the ISS is 150 billion dollars, that is 15 thousand crore dollars.

Which music album sold the most?

Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album. Although sales estimates for Thriller have been as high as 120 million copies, these sales figures are unreliable.

How much did Michael Jackson make from Thriller?

Highlights include the $134 million he made in the two years after the release of Thriller (an inflation-adjusted $306 million), the $125 million he banked in 1988 at the height of the Bad Tour (an inflation-adjusted $247 million), and the $118 million he earned in 1995 after scoring a nine-figure payout for merging ...

How much does a Beatles song cost?

Billboard estimates rights to the songs cost $10 million.

According to Danny Boyle and the filmmakers, it takes more than money to get to use Beatles songs. The estates of Lennon and Harrison, along with McCartney and Ringo Starr, need to approve of the project you are working on.

What are the most expensive songs to use in a movie?

Apparently, as reported by Loudwire, the most expensive (and widely used) rock song you can possible feature in a movie is AC/DC's “Thunderstruck”. The news was first shared via a new video by Tiktok poster Daniel Wall.

How much does it cost to use a Queen song?

Licensing is the fee that you pay to use someone else's copyrighted music so that you do not get in trouble for copyright infringement. The average cost to purchase rights to a song will be between $50 and $150 for an independent artist. Famous songs can cost $500 to $5000 or more.

What is the rarest album of all time?

Rarest Vinyl Ever: A Guide To 10 Of The Most Expensive Records

  • 4: Prince: 'The Black Album' (LP, 1987) ...
  • 3: The Beatles: 'The Beatles' (2LP, 1969) ...
  • 2: Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen (7” single, 1977) ...
  • 1: The Quarrymen: That'll Be The Day/In Spite Of All The Danger (10” acetate, 1958)

How much does Dr Dre charge for a song?

Rolling Stone reported: "For outside projects such as the Gwen Stefani/Eve collaboration 'Rich Girl,' seeing the Doctor is expensive: Dre earns roughly $250,000 per track."

What artist has the most expensive music catalog?

The Most Valuable Music Catalogs

  • The Beatles . . . $500 million.
  • Michael Jackson . . . $375 million.
  • Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . . . $350 million.
  • Bob Dylan . . . $325 million.
  • Paul Simon . . . $250 million.

Who is the #1 selling artist of all time?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 257.7 million certified sales. Second is Elvis Presley with almost 207 million sales, followed by Michael Jackson with 169.7 million.

What is the #1 album of all time?

In 2018, The Eagles' greatest hits album, released in 1976, surpassed Michael Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" to take the top spot on the Record Industry Association of America's (RIAA) list of the top selling albums of all time in the US.

Which singer has the most number one hits?

The Beatles, unsurprisingly, lead the way with a record 20 No. 1s, all earned between 1964 and 1970. The Fab Four also scored 34 top 10s (second only to Madonna's 38), hitting No. 1 in over half their visits to the top 10.

Which is the cheapest thing in the world?

The answer is: wheat. Actually, the entire agriculture complex, including corn, beef, pork and beans could fit this description. The answer is: wheat.

What's the most expensive phone in the world?

Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond – $48.5 Million

The Falcon Supernova iPhone 6 Pink Diamond is the most expensive phone in the world.

What is the world's most expensive watch?

Worldwide: The most expensive watch ever sold at auction worldwide is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, which fetched 31.19 million US dollars (31,000,000 CHF) in Geneva on November 9, 2019 (by Christie's).

Are Beatles 45s worth anything?

That record is probably worth about 2,500 dollars.

How much is original Dark Side of the Moon worth?

According to a list by music website Discogs, the album ranks in the top 50 most expensive albums ever sold in the UK. The Vinyl LP, Gatefold Sleeve edition of the record, released on Harvest, was sold in 2018 for the sum of $3,242 (£2,557).

Why is the White Album so expensive?

(Because of the different numbering systems used by various plants, there are several copies of the White Album with a No. 0000001 stamp.) The Beatles received four chronologically stamped copies of the White Album; a copy marked No. 0000005 was sold at a 2008 auction for around $30,000.