Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells - Songwriter + Publisher Royalties

Few catalogs carry a legacy this deep: Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf, with both sides of the composition royalty included, the writer’s share through BMI and the publisher’s share through BMG. It has paid between roughly $2,600 and $4,200 in every full year since 2016, and the last twelve months came in at $2,866 against a three-year average of $2,883. 

“Mannish Boy” has earned $4,606 in synchronization fees across the file, about 15% of everything collected since 2016, and it has been placed in all ten years. The pattern is lumpy by nature: a Netflix trailer in 2019, a national retail campaign in 2022, a feature film in 2023, then two sports promos in 3Q2025 worth about $390. Underneath the large placements a steady layer keeps paying, from “Goodfellas” to “Family Guy” to a late-night bumper package, while “Little By Little” earns through its use in “Jack Reacher” across both television licensing and streaming video, supplying about 11% of the catalog’s year on its own.

Earnings grew about 9% against the prior twelve months; set synchronization aside on both sides and income softened about 5%, with US earnings easing 12% and international earnings growing 5%. Live performance, up 58% and now 12% of income, almost entirely from European concert performances of “Messing With The Kid” that have risen in each of the last four years. 

For an investor, the case is durability: income collected the same way for seven decades, arriving from 105 countries and six separate channels.

 “Mannish Boy” is a defining Chicago electric blues anthem, originally recorded in 1955 by Muddy Waters for Chess Records and written with Mel London and Bo Diddley. It stands as one of the most covered and widely performed blues standards of the modern era. The song’s lasting impact is underscored by its induction into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame as a Classic of Blues Recording and its frequent inclusion on all-time blues rankings, including those published by Rolling Stone. Its cultural reach expanded through prominent placement in Goodfellas and extensive licensing across film, television, and advertising. Decades after its release, “Mannish Boy” remains one of the most recognizable and enduring works in the blues canon, bridging traditional Chicago blues with mainstream rock audiences.

“Little by Little” and “Messin’ with the Kid,” both first recorded in 1960 by Junior Wells featuring Buddy Guy, stand as foundational Chicago electric blues standards from the Chess Records era. Built around driving grooves and sharp call-and-response phrasing, the tracks became cornerstones of the Chicago blues repertoire and later gained renewed visibility during the 1960s British blues and broader blues-rock revival movements. Both songs have endured as live staples, performed by artists such as The Blues Brothers, Rory Gallagher, and others, helping bridge traditional electric blues with wider rock audiences and carry the Chicago sound to international stages.

Earnings Note. The Earnings by Period chart below reflects royalty payments based on two distinct statement sets from different payors. The Last 12 Months include:
BMI Statements: 2Q-2025 through 1Q-2026 (Quarterly)
BMG Statements: 3Q-2025 through 2Q-2026 (Quarterly)

Earnings Note Regarding Copyright Length. The highest-earning composition in the catalog, “Mannish Boy,” was first recorded in 1955. According to U.S. copyright law, the copyright was automatically renewed for a term of 95 years from the creation date.  That means that the copyright for “Mannish Boy” will be valid through at least 2051. 

The five highest-earning songs are all subject to the 95-year length, and their copyrights will expire as follows:
“Mannish Boy”: Expires 2051
“Little By Little”: Expires 2055
"Messing With The Kid": Expires 2055
“When Things Go Wrong”: Expires 2052
"Sugar Sweet": Expires 2052

After the copyrights expire, the compositions will enter the public domain and will no longer be eligible to earn royalties.

Tracklist Note. Two songs include only the songwriter’s share of public performance royalties. All remaining songs include both the songwriter’s and publisher’s shares. Download the tracklists below.

Songwriter’s Share Only (BMI)
Songwriter’s and Publisher’s Shares (BMI and BMG)