Sometimes the biggest misses in life are the choices we never knew would matter.When horror legend Vincent Price recorded his iconic voice part for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” he was offered either $20,000 upfront or a percentage of album sales.

Mar 28, 2025 10:32 PM

Joyika

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Sometimes the biggest misses in life are the choices we never knew would matter.
When horror legend Vincent Price recorded his iconic voice part for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” he was offered either $20,000 upfront or a percentage of album sales. He took the cash.
With Thriller selling over 70 million copies worldwide, that decision cost him potentially millions in royalties.

Alec Guinness did the opposite with Star Wars

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

James Earl Jones got $1000 for doing the Darth Vader voice in Star Wars. For the sequel he got considerably more....

2 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That's about $60,000 in today dollars.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Making millions isn't always the goal

Maybe he just wanted to do it

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Vincent Price's art collection alone was worth 5 million dollars. I think he was ok.

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

The movie and music industry is well known for their creative accounting, meaning that even if they sell millions, that's no guarantee that they made a profit on paper.

2 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 1

TLC found that out

2 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

"never gonna get it.....never gonna get it..."

2 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Take the money in hand or gamble.

2 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It also completely depends on what the percentage was. If it was 0.000000000001%, he made a great deal.

2 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Royalties can takes months and months, sometimes years to be paid out. 20,000 $ is payment here and now.

2 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

With the information provided here we don't know how much that cost him in royalties. The potential percentage is not explained.

2 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

What we do know is that MJ’s just prior album “off the wall” sold 20 million copies worldwide: certified 9× platinum

2 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That entirely depends on the circumstances he was in at the time. If you can't eat today then all the money you receive next year might as well be dust

2 years ago | Likes 37 Dislikes 1

I can't imagine a time after like 1940 when Price would have been hurting for money. He was involved in radio, tv, film and so much more pretty much his whole life..

2 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Some people live large and spend whatever they have.

2 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Or had poor contracts.

2 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

That's $19990 more than Eddie Van Halen got for the riff, solo, and rearrangement of "Beat It".

2 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0