From the outside, you'd assume that the rights to music belong to the people who wrote and performed them, unless they specifically sell them to somebody else. That's not always the case. The Beatles, the world's first supergroup, sold millions of records in the 1960s and 70s, and made fortunes for both themselves and Apple, their record label. The problem was that it was Apple who owned the rights to the music, and when they decided to sell them, it wasn't just the Beatles who wanted them.
Sir Paul McCartney, who was of course in the group, was very interested in acquiring the rights to his own creations. The problem for him was that Michael Jackson wanted them too, and Jackson had deeper pockets. The King of Pop bid $47.5m for the rights, and walked away with ownership. That meant every time McCartney played one of his own songs on stage, Jackson got paid! Since Jackson's death, the rights have reverted into Sony's hands.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.