Ka-ching! Paris Hilton's Sweet Sound of Making Money

Aug. 22, 2006 — -- Paris Hilton doesn't yet own the world, but you might believe otherwise, once you're sipping Paris Hilton champagne, playing Paris Hilton video games, and wearing the bathing suit, makeup, lingerie, wig and wrist watch that bear her heavily branded name.

Paris Hilton's CD -- called, appropriately enough, "Paris" -- hits stores today, and her reggae-tinged single -- "Stars Are Blind" -- is already a top-20 hit on Billboard's Hot 100. And critics are begrudgingly giving the disc lukewarm reviews.

"Paris haters may be disappointed," writes Randy Lewis in the Los Angeles Times. "With infectious beats and hooky sonic textures established by the hit-laden pros surrounding her, all Hilton has to bring to the party is, well, Paris."

Critics at AllMusic.com agree: "Paris makes no apologies for being mass-market pop, but everybody involved made sure that this was well-constructed mass-market pop."

'I Haven't Accepted Money From My Parents'

It can be debated whether "Paris" will be a success because of Paris or because she hired top producer Scott Storch and the best songwriters money can buy. And we still don't know whether her cover of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" will unleash a new wave of Paris sex videos on the Internet.

Hilton is just hoping her notoriety won't resign her album to the David Hasselhoff/Don Johnson/Eddie Murphy/Alyssa Milano section of your local music store, where you'll find all the failed vanity albums of stars who thought their celebrity could translate into CD success.

At this point, reality show stardom may be more a curse than a blessing. "It's kind of different, because most artists, before you hear their music, you've never really heard of them," she tells ABC News Radio.

"With me, people have already seen me on 'The Simple Life' and doing other things, so it's . . . I don't know. It's just different."

But hasn't it always been different for Paris? The 25-year-old socialite is reportedly set to inherit an estimated $30 million from her family's hotel empire. But instead of waiting around for the estate tax to be cut, she's been turning her party girl image into a bankable empire.

"I haven't accepted money from my parents since I was 18," Hilton says. "I worked my ass off. I've done it all on my own."

$150,000 for Just Showing Up

In addition to a planned fifth season for her reality TV show, she's got two upcoming movies -- "Bottoms Up" and "The Hottie and the Nottie" -- despite laughable reviews for "House of Wax." Her 2004 book, "Confessions of an Heiress," was a New York Times best-seller. Together with her new album, she's a veritable queen of all media.

In July, Forbes ranked Paris No. 56 on its annual Celebrity 100 list, with $7 million in earnings. While she's faraway from Tom Cruise, the Rolling Stones and Oprah Winfrey --who are Nos. 1, 2 and 3 -- rivals like Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff don't even earn a spot among the elite.

"The celebutante has amassed her personal fortune mainly through licensing deals," Forbes reports. "She boasts the most Web hits of anyone else on the Forbes Celebrity 100, although she's also the only lister with her own highly publicized (and downloadable) porn tape."

Hilton may have been embarrassed by the Internet sex tape -- "One Night in Paris" -- shot by ex-boyfriend Rick Solomon. But her lawyer told "Vanity Fair" in October that she's been able to share in its profits.

But when you consider Paris Hilton's newfound revenue streams, also keep in mind that when you're her, you get paid for just showing up. For as little as a 20-minute appearance, she gets $150,000 to $200,000, according to Us Weekly.

Her Club Paris in Orlando -- where she is contractually obliged to spend two evenings every month -- has announced plans to open other venues in Miami and Las Vegas.

On top of it all, is the wide range of Paris Hilton products. Her perfume, Paris Hilton for Women, launched by Parlux Fragrances in 2004, was soon followed by Paris Hilton for Men. Her line of jewelry, including jewel-encrusted shoelace leashes for lapdogs, are top sellers on Amazon.com.

In July, the pop star dialed up more money in cell phone gaming. With the release of Paris Hilton's Diamond Quest, players try to match various types of jewels for points.

And don't worry about wearing yourself out collecting Hilton's forthcoming lingerie, bathing suits and champagne. Paris Hilton has also signed a deal for an energy drink. "I don't like the taste of alcohol," she says. "It grosses me out."

But in the end, Paris is just like any other pop star. There's always a new plateau to reach, and now, she wants to be taken seriously for her songs.

"I've been into music ever since I'm 6 years old," she says. "I've been singing and playing the piano and the violin, so it's something I've been doing a long time."

Whether you like the album or not, in a few months, you may be able to let this star know, simply by purchasing Paris Hilton headphones or Paris Hilton earplugs.

Buck Wolf is entertainment producer at ABCNEWS.com. The Wolf Files is published on Tuesdays.