An interesting article albeit a puff piece around semi talented lily allen, you may remember her as an exaggerating poster child for the recording industry some years ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27486952Allen - whose pithy, no-nonsense interviews are a godsend to newspaper columnists - was undoubtedly exaggerating for comic effect. But she raises the question: What is a hit single worth in 2014?
"Not much, sadly," says Kathy Johnson, a senior tax manager at accountancy firm Saffery Champness.
"Because of downloads and the ability to get hold of a record without paying for it, it's quite difficult to make any money.
I recommend a read of this article, take some of the claims with a chunk of salt however especially the bit about royalties that are paid out periodically when a popular musical track is replayed on the radio and thus represent considerably more than the article lets on.