Elvis still a top earner

Elvis still a top earner Elvis may have died 30 years ago, but he's still going strong, ranking "No. 2 on Forbes's list of top-earning dead celebrities." His income? $42 million. And he's just getting started. The Elvis empire is now managed by CKX Inc. who see themselves in the "icon business." Elvis used to be promoted only at Graceland, where the faithful could tour his surprisingly modest mansion. (The Jungle Room was my favorite.) But now Elvis is licensed on everything from Reese's to Pez to Harley-Davidson choppers. Look for Elvis casinos and an overhaul of Graceland. It's a very Elvis world. (JAMES F. KRAUS)

Washington Post
Elvis may have died 30 years ago, but he’s still going strong, ranking ‘‘No. 2 on Forbes’s list of top-earning dead celebrities.’’ His income? $42 million. And he’s just getting started. The Elvis empire is now managed by CKX Inc. who see themselves in the ‘‘icon business.’’ Elvis used to be promoted only at Graceland, where the faithful could tour his surprisingly modest mansion. (The Jungle Room was my favorite.) But now Elvis is licensed on everything from Reese’s to Pez to Harley-Davidson choppers. Look for Elvis casinos and an overhaul of Graceland. It’s a very Elvis world.

MARKETING DAILY

Approachable wines

Yellow Tail, Pinot Evil, Killer Juice, and Dog House. These are not your father's wines. Millennials aged 21 to 30 are drinking "approachable" brands of wine, helping to fuel a 3.4 percent increase in US wine sales last year. Wine sales across the board are up, continuing their 13th consecutive year of solid growth. In fact, a July Gallup Poll says that "wine now rivals beer as America's alcoholic beverage of choice."

SILICON ALLEY INSIDER

The great ad shift

In Q2 the top four Web properties (Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN) saw their collective ad revenue increase 42 percent. Meanwhile, ad revenue for the 15 biggest traditional media companies shrank by 3 percent. The overall advertising pie for all 19 companies did grow by 8 percent. But within the pie, the online portion grew from $3 billion to $4.2 billion (23 percent share to 30 percent share) while the offline portion shrank from $9.9 billion to $9.6 billion (77 percent share to 70 percent share). In other words, the online companies "picked up 7 percentage points of market share in a single year."

PSFK

Virgin's virgin flight

Virgin America began service between LA, San Francisco, and New York, drawing rave reviews for the latest hot young thing to hit the sky. Here's a taste: The planes have names like California Dreaming and Air Colbert. The seats are designed by a race car company. The lighting is ambient and syncs with the time of day. The flight attendants look like they're "outfitted by Armani." All that plus satellite TV, WiFi, video games, and power outlets for your electronics. And get this: seat-to-seat chat. That's social networking/online dating at 30,000 feet.

BUSINESSWEEK

Punk Martha Stewart

The punk boutique Manic Panic NYC, founded by sisters Tish and Snooky Bellomo, was a major hangout in the '70s New York punk scene. "Thirty years later, punk merchandising is big business, and Tish and Snooky have turned their lifestyle into the backbone and brand-identity of a 13-employee wholesale business with $5 million in annual revenues," much of it from hair dyes like "atomic turquoise." What's next? The sisters envision a Manic Panic line of housewares and clothing. Tey'd like to become "the Martha Stewart of alternative style," but "We want to stay out of jail."

SPRINGWISE

Home buying 2.0

Home Equity Share "brings together buyers who can afford monthly payments but not a 20 percent down payment, and investors who want to get into real estate but don't want to become landlords or make monthly payments." Once a buyer and investor are lined up, the buyer is preapproved. At the end of three to seven years, the buyer can purchase the investor's interest in the property, or they can sell the house and split any profits.

XCONOMY

Virtual weather

The weather on Second Life (SL) is about to get a huge upgrade, thanks to Windward Mark Interactive, a Waltham graphics studio that Linden Lab acquired in May. Their atmospheric rendering software will bring "a new level of realism and spectacle" to the virtual sky of SL. Windward's team is now part of Second Life's new Cambridge office, which is the largest major outpost outside of SL's San Francisco headquarters.