Category: Foundation

The Tuff Gong Brought In An Estimated $18 Million Last Year

“Not one of my seeds shall sit on the sidewalk and beg your bread,” Robert Nesta Marley proclaimed on his 1974 song “So Jah Seh.” And verily verily these words, like so many others he sang, have proven to be prophetic. Thirty-two years after passing away at the age of 36, Bob Marley is not just a legendary musician and a global icon of spirituality and human rights. Marley is also a powerful brand. As a 2011 Billboard cover story explored, the Marley estate is engaged in constant struggle to battle bootleggers seeking to cash in on Bob’s image and legacy while they have also developed a variety of their own businesses, from clothing lines to personal audio and beverages. And according to Forbes magazine’s latest ranking of “Dead Celebrities,” those businesses appear to be doing well. Forbes reporters estimate that the Marley estate brought in $18 million in 2013. He ranks as one of three musicians in the top 5, trailing Michael Jackson, who takes the top spot with an estimated $160 million in earnings (making him the year’s top earning celeb dead or alive), and Elvis Presley, who comes in at No. 2 with an estimated $55 million. (Not bad for a youth from the rural Jamaican village of Nine Mile who came of age in the streets of Trenchtown.) Rounding out the Top 5 are Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. For the full list head over the Forbes. But just remember the Tuff Gong will never die. Video After The Jump… (more…)