It kind of reminds me of the story of Clare Torry, who did the vocals on Pink Floyd's The Great Gig In The Sky[1], and received the standard £30 flat fee for session work. Of course the song ended up being a critical piece of an album that went on to be one of the best selling albums in the history of music. Sometimes, we make a big contribution to something and don't end up with a big payoff. It's sad that business shrewdness and negotiating skills tend to have a higher ROI than actual subject matter talent.
Torry ended up suing and they settled out of court, so I guess that's a win.
Well, and you're not reading about the countless people who contributed to something that never made any money. Or for that matter the countless people who work on Hollywood blockbusters for guild scale and a small credit at the end.
Torry ended up suing and they settled out of court, so I guess that's a win.