Last week we looked at two women who took equity in the brands they built. This week, two artists who did the same thing with something less visible — the rights to their own work.

 DOLLY PARTON

 For more than fifty years, she refused to sell her publishing, across a catalogue reported in the thousands of songs. When Elvis Presley's team wanted to record "I Will Always Love You" but demanded half the publishing, she walked away. Years later, Whitney Houston's version became one of the best-selling singles in history — and because Parton still owned the composition, the royalties flowed to her. That's the difference between income and residual income: an asset that pays every single time the work is used.

 TAYLOR SWIFT

 When her first six albums were sold — first to Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings, then to Shamrock Capital for a reported 300 million dollars — she didn't own the masters to her own music. So she re-recorded them one by one, as Taylor's Versions, building masters she controlled. Then in May 2025, according to Billboard, she bought the originals back for around 360 million dollars. Whoever owns the master controls the licensing and the cash flow. She spent years, and a fortune, to own what she'd already made once.

 THE TAKEAWAY

 Durable wealth runs through what you control. Parton never let the rights leave. Swift spent a decade getting them back. Both understood the asset was never the fame — it was the ownership underneath it.

 Next week: the athletes and the mogul who chose a stake over a salary.

 Watch the full breakdowns on the channel. Fame is rented. Ownership is kept.

 — IconCapital

 Figures are reported estimates from Forbes, Billboard and peers, as of 2026, and move over time. Educational only — not financial advice.