How many times have you heard 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' from The Verve? Never did their frontman, who technically wrote the song, receive a dime from it. Bittersweet indeed. According to NME "The Verve’s 1997 single sampled a four-second segment of Andrew Oldham’s orchestral recording from the Stones’ ‘The Last Time’. Permission was gained for use of the recording, but permission for the use of the song was overlooked. The only deal [frontman Richard] Ashcroft could reach that allowed him to keep ‘Urban Hymns’, the album the song featured on, on shelves was to sign away all of his rights and royalties to the track."
Brutal.
In a breakthrough, The Rolling Stones have given Richard Ashcroft the royalties and rights from ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ and have also had their writing credits removed. Over 20 years after the song's release! I don't know what that check will look like, but safe to say Ashcroft is about to land several million dollars.