Dolly Parton's Music Still Earns A Ton Of Money

Dolly Parton is a music legend, although her influence reaches beyond the recording studio. Anyone who follows the country singer's story and appreciates her endearing style won't be surprised to learn that her music continues to resonate with melophiles today. In fact, Dolly Parton's music still earns a ton of money, and the singer's savvy business sense, combined with her inspirational talent, puts her in a class of her own. 

Parton holds all the rights to her more than 3,000 songs to this day, earning royalties from any cover of her songs, when one is used in a movie or on television, or when it's played on the radio. How much artists make from Spotify and other music streaming platforms isn't always easy to determine, but it's likely Dolly makes decent money from streaming. Celebrity Net Worth says Dolly gets 8 cents every time one of her songs comes on the radio; if she sells an album, she earns $2 from the sale. Altogether, Strixus claims that Dolly Parton makes between $6 and $8 million in royalties from her music every year, and the publishing rights to her music — one of the most reliable invisible assets — are worth a staggering $150 million.

Parton was just 20 years old when she started her own publishing company alongside her Uncle Bill Owens, which they called Owe-Par Publishing Company. One of Dolly Parton's biggest success stories, at least where her music is concerned, comes from her famous song "I Will Always Love You." The song reached No.1 on the Billboard country chart after she released it in 1974, but it's actually Whitney Houston's cover of the song for the 1991 movie "The Bodyguard" that really cemented the song as a lasting hit. Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" earned Parton $10 million in the '90s alone. 

Music is certainly what got Dolly Parton noticed and contributed to her initial success. However, over the years, the country singer has expanded her entrepreneurship into many areas. Aside from music, Dolly has enjoyed a successful acting career. Appearing in popular films like "Steel Magnolias" and "9 to 5" helped her prove she could make it in Hollywood. She actually wrote and sang the title track for the movie "9 to 5," which earned her two Grammy awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance.

In Dolly's home state of Tennessee, where the talented performer never had to face the dark side of being born into a wealthy family, having grown up in a poor household with 12 children, you'll find her popular theme park — Dollywood. This family-friendly destination is where Parton earns most of her money, as the park welcomes around 3 million visitors per year. Forbes estimates that Dolly's 50% stake in the theme park is worth about $165 million. Since investing in Dollywood, Parton has expanded her business endeavors in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, region to include a splash park, resort, and spa, and several dinner theaters that help make the attraction one of the most visited destinations in the state. Her overall net worth is estimated to be around $650 million, but if it weren't for extreme generosity and philanthropic efforts, she could likely be worth much more.