How Much Music

Song

Beat It

Michael Jackson · Bad · 1987

low confidence

editorial meaning/overview is present + related listening context is present. Why?

Beat It by Michael Jackson

Short Answer

How much money does Beat It make?

Beat It by Michael Jackson earns an estimated $700K-$2.5M/year per year from streaming, licensing, and long-tail catalog replay value.

The song still reads as an evergreen catalog asset roughly 39 years after release.

Beat It still monetizes because it bridges pop and rock audiences unusually well for a legacy hit.

Did You Know?

  • Currently ranks around the top 17% of tracked songs by modeled artist-side earnings
  • Released in 1987 and still shows earnings power roughly 39 years later
  • Ranks #3 among 5 tracked songs for Michael Jackson
  • 3 tracks on the linked album page
  • External listening links available
  • low confidence estimate

Beat It sits in the top 17% of tracked songs on the site by modeled artist-side earnings.

Last updated: April 2026

Beat It vs Similar Songs

Song Artist Estimated yearly midpoint
Beat It Michael Jackson $1,600,000
Smooth Criminal
same artist · same album
Michael Jackson $1,450,000
Bad
same artist · same album
Michael Jackson $1,150,000
Thriller
same artist · same genre
Michael Jackson $1,950,000

Listen

Preview audio is not available for this song right now.

Amazon Music

Why It Still Works

  • cross-genre playlist demand
  • catalog streaming
  • sync-friendly recognizability

Michael Jackson benefits when one recording stays useful across streaming, memory, and licensing contexts long after the release campaign ends.

More Questions About Beat It

How much did Beat It make in total?

Beat It does not have a public lifetime total, so this page stays focused on modeled annual earnings instead of claiming an audited career total.

How much does Beat It make per stream?

Beat It does not have a single public per-stream rate because payouts vary by platform, territory, subscription tier, and contract structure. The estimate here is modeled from aggregate streaming, licensing, and catalog behavior instead.

Who owns Beat It?

Beat It by Michael Jackson is modeled from the best available catalog and platform signals, but the exact master and publishing splits are not fully public.

Show ownership and assumptions

Beat It by Michael Jackson is modeled from the best available catalog and platform signals, but the exact master and publishing splits are not fully public.

Supporting Revenue Context

  • cross-genre playlist demand
  • catalog streaming
  • sync-friendly recognizability
  • Lifetime estimate: The strongest catalog songs can continue to earn for many years if they remain easy to place, easy to remember, and easy to replay.

Modeled top-line estimate

The headline number is a modeled annual revenue range because a specific artist-side split is not available yet.

  • Gross track revenue is not shown separately here, so the page emphasizes the best available directional estimate.
  • Ownership context is incomplete here, so the estimate should be treated as directional rather than contract-precise.
  • All figures are annual modeled ranges based on streaming behavior, cultural replay value, sync potential, and available ownership information, not public royalty statements.

Read the full site methodology.