Despite Whitney Houston’s estate’s financial troubles after her untimely passing in 2012, several key business deals have placed the estate’s finances on the uptick.
When Houston died, the estate was in debt, now it is worth more than $14 million.
Songstress Whitney Houston passed away in February 2012 after a career that spanned close to 30 years. Houston sold more than 200 million albums. She won six Grammy Awards, two Emmy Awards, 22 American Music Awards and 30 Billboard Music Awards. At the peak of her career, Houston was able to earn an estimated $30 million annually just from touring, according to Celebrity Networth. However, in the year’s leading up to her death, Houston suffered many personal and professional financial setbacks. And despite having a $100 million contract with Sony/Arista, dismal album sales and advances left Houston $20 million in debt with the record label.
A Financial Turnaround
Since Houston’s death ten years ago, several business deals have helped the artist’s estate bounce back.
One of the most significant contributions to the estate’s ability to bounce back has been its partnership with Primary Wave Music. In 2019, the estate began working with the company, which took 50 percent stake in Houston’s music assets.
“We have massively, over the course of our three-year partnership, improved the earnings of the estate,” Primary Wave founder and CEO Larry Mestel told Variety.
“We’ve basically quadrupled the earnings stream of the estate through a lot of low-hanging fruit: renegotiation of partnerships, focusing on merchandise, digital strategy, and social media enhancement — upping the game in general,” Mestel added. Through their partnership, Primary Wave Music has released new music from Houston including a dance remix of the hit, “Higher Love.” In addition, posthumous album releases such as live and gospel albums are also in the works.
“It was time to rebuild Whitney’s business, and Primary Wave, with its arsenal of industry professionals, were the right fit, a team packaged to elevate Whitney’s legacy to the next level,” Pat Houston, Houston’s sister-in-law and former manager and an executor of her estate, told AfroTech.
Next, Houston’s estate has partnered with OneOf, a company back by Quincy Jones, and released several non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in her likeness. Most recently, an NFT of 17-year-old Whitney Houston sold for just under $1 million.
Sony/Arista owns the rights to Houston’s back catalog. With Houston’s increased royalties as unit sales grew after her death, the label has been recouping losses on a $100 million advance it gave the singer.
Finally, a live hologram performance of Houston is currently playing at Harrah’s in Las Vegas.
The Much-Hyped Bio-Pic
A biopic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” will hit movie theaters in December. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, it was written by Anthony McCarten, with Houston’s former record producer and mentor Clive Davis also serving as a producer on the film. It stars Naomi Ackie as Houston and Stanley Tucci as Davis. Ashton Sanders was cast as Bobby Brown, Whitney’s husband of 15 years.
On April 22, 2020, Stella Meghie was set to direct. McCarten self-financed an option for Houston’s life rights, wrote the script on spec, and lined up rights and music. TriStar Pictures acquired the film in August 2020, and a year later in September 2021, Kasi Lemmons took over directing duties. Meghie switched to an executive producer. Sony Pictures is distributing the film.
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow, even a decade after her passing. The biopic sounds promising, and I can’t wait to see how they capture her incredible life and talent. Her music still resonates with so many people today!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing. I’m excited to see the biopic and hope it captures the true essence of her talent and struggles. Her influence on music and culture is undeniable, and it’s heartwarming to know her estate is flourishing!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s estate grow in value after her passing. Her legacy continues to resonate with fans, and I’m excited to see how the upcoming biopic will bring her story to a new generation. Houston truly was a remarkable talent!
This is such a fascinating update! Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to shine brightly, and it’s amazing to see how her estate has grown in value. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—her story deserves to be told in a big way!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even after her passing. The quadrupling of her estate’s value speaks volumes about her impact on music and culture. I’m excited to see the biopic and hope it does justice to her remarkable life and career!
Wow, it’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy continuing to thrive! Her talent was unmatched, and it’s amazing that her estate has quadrupled in value. I can’t wait to see how the upcoming biopic brings her story to life. She truly deserves all the recognition!
This is incredible! Whitney’s legacy continues to grow, and it’s fascinating to see how her estate has quadrupled in value. I’m really looking forward to the biopic; I hope it does her story justice and introduces her music to a new generation!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy continuing to grow even a decade after her passing. The biopic sounds promising—her story deserves to be told. Excited to see how they portray her impact on music and culture!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing. The increase in her estate’s value and the upcoming biopic are testament to her timeless impact on music and culture. I can’t wait to see how her story is brought to life on screen!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic has certainly sparked renewed interest in her life and music. I’m excited to learn more about her story and the impact she made on the industry!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even after her passing. The quadrupling of her estate’s value shows just how impactful her music and artistry are. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—it’s about time her story was told in such a big way!
Incredible to see how Whitney’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing! Excited for the biopic to shed more light on her amazing life and talent. She truly was a one-of-a-kind artist!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing. The quadrupling of her estate’s value is a testament to her timeless talent and impact on music and culture. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—it’s about time her story gets the cinematic treatment it deserves!
What an incredible journey for Whitney’s estate! It’s amazing to see her legacy thrive even a decade after her passing. I’m really looking forward to the biopic – I hope it does justice to her remarkable life and talent!
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It’s amazing to see Whitney’s legacy continue to grow and thrive even a decade after her passing. The increase in her estate’s value speaks volumes about her enduring impact on music and pop culture. I can’t wait to see the biopic—her story deserves to be told in a powerful way!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic is sure to bring her story to a new generation of fans. I’m excited to see how they portray her remarkable life and talent!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic has me excited—her story deserves to be told in a big way! Anyone else looking forward to the film?
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic has me excited to learn more about her incredible life and career. It’s amazing to think about how her music still resonates with so many people today!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy continue to grow even after a decade. The upcoming biopic has me excited—her story deserves to be shared anew! Can’t wait to see how they portray her journey.
This is such a fascinating development! It’s amazing to see Whitney’s legacy grow even after her passing. I can’t wait to see how the biopic portrays her life and career—she truly was a legend.
This is really fascinating! It’s amazing to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. I’m curious to see how the upcoming biopic will portray her life and impact on music. She truly was an icon!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy continue to thrive even after a decade. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—her story deserves to be told and celebrated!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even years after her passing. I’m really excited to see the biopic and learn more about her life and impact on music. Her talent was truly one of a kind!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic sounds like a perfect way to introduce her music and story to a new generation. Can’t wait to see it!
It’s astonishing to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive, even a decade after her passing. Excited to see how her story will be portrayed in the upcoming biopic!
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic is bound to introduce her incredible talent to a new generation. I can’t wait to see how they portray her life and career!
Wow, it’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing. Excited to see how the biopic captures her extraordinary life and talent!
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic will surely introduce her incredible talent to a new generation. Can’t wait to see how they portray her life and impact on music!
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. Her influence on music and pop culture is undeniable, and it’s exciting to hear about the upcoming biopic. I can’t wait to see how her incredible story is portrayed on screen!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy flourish even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic will likely introduce her music and story to a new generation, and it’s a testament to her enduring impact. Can’t wait to see how they portray her journey!
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow, even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic has me excited to learn more about her incredible life and career. It’s a testament to her talent that her estate has quadrupled in value—she truly remains an icon!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive, even a decade after her passing. The quadrupling of her estate’s value speaks volumes about her impact on music and culture. I’m really looking forward to the biopic and can’t wait to see how they portray her journey!
Incredible to see Whitney’s legacy continue to grow even after all these years! I’m excited about the biopic and can’t wait to see how her story is portrayed. She truly was a talent like no other, and her music still resonates today.
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even after her passing. The biopic sounds like it could bring a new generation of fans to appreciate her artistry and impact on music. I’m excited to see how they portray her story!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney’s legacy continues to grow, even a decade after her passing. The upcoming biopic is sure to reignite interest in her music and life story. Can’t wait to see it!
It’s incredible to see Whitney Houston’s legacy continue to thrive even after a decade. The quadrupling of her estate’s value speaks volumes about her impact on music and culture. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—it’s about time her story gets the spotlight it deserves!
This is such an intriguing development! Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to resonate, and it’s amazing to see her estate thriving, especially with a biopic on the way. I can’t wait to see how her story is portrayed on screen!
This is fascinating! It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even a decade after her passing. I’m really looking forward to the biopic—her story deserves to be told on the big screen!
It’s fascinating to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to grow even after her passing. The fact that her estate has quadrupled in value speaks volumes about her lasting impact on music and culture. I’m really looking forward to the biopic; I hope it does justice to her incredible life and career!
It’s amazing to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to flourish even after her passing. The surge in her estate’s value just goes to show the lasting impact she had on music and culture. I can’t wait to see the biopic—I’m sure it will bring an even deeper appreciation for her incredible talent and life story!
It’s incredible to see how Whitney Houston’s legacy continues to thrive even a decade after her passing. The quadrupling of her estate’s value is a testament to her enduring impact on music and culture. I’m really looking forward to the biopic; I hope it captures the complexities of her life and artistry!