Dying: A Great Career Move

Writing recently about the competition to find Ireland’s Greatest Living Musician gave me the perfect opportunity to delve into my record collection to remind myself of some of the contenders. In the process of completing this task I was taken aback by the sheer volume of music I possessed belonging to musicians now headlining the great gig in the sky. A quick check on my mp3 player showed that of the 100 most frequently played songs, 58 of them were by musicians who have already shuffled off their mortal coil.

 

Admittedly, that list has a lot to do with an on-going obsession with all things Elliott Smith. More than anyone, Smith represents why dead musicians prove so successful. You see, by being dead, he can’t disappoint me. While “From a Basement on a Hill” and “New Moon” don’t come anywhere near the quality of his ante-mortem offerings such as “Elliott Smith” or “XO” I know that they are not compilations he would have released if he were still alive. Therefore, I accept them for what they are; a collection b-sides and demos released by his estate (New Moon to the benefit of the OUTSIDE IN charity).

 

Of course Smith was acknowledged as a talented musician before he died. His composition, Miss Misery, (Good Will Hunting) secured him an Oscar nomination, only to be beaten by Titanic’s My Heart Will Go On. However, the widespread success of his two posthumous releases, as well as the unofficial release “Basement II” shows that demand for his material, and his influence as a musician, is on the increase.

 

The same cannot be said for Nick Drake. In his lifetime he was regarded as nothing more a competent singer-songwriter who failed to find appeal with a wide audience. However, since his death from a drug overdose in 1974, Drake has become widely regarded as one of Britain’s most influential musicians. By the mid-1980s Robert Smith of The Cure was crediting the origin of his band's name to a lyric from Drake's song "Time Has Told Me" - "a troubled cure for a troubled mind.” Drake’s posthumous career reached its peak in 1999 when Bryter Layter was named as the greatest alternative album of all time.

 

As well as being good for your credibility, dying can also prove beneficial for your finances.   In 2006 Kurt Cobain replaced Elvis at the top of Forbes.com “Top Earning Dead Celebrities”  list, after earning $50 million in sales and publishing rights. Other high earning dead musicians include John Lennon, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, George Harrison and Bob Marley who between them earned $56 million in 2006.

 

This goes to show that while dying on stage may not help your career, death most certainly can. What a pity you can’t be around to enjoy it.