Interest
Demon Slayer's 'Gurenge' Song Composer Earned Over 250 Million Yen in Royalties
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The composer of Kayoko Kusano has earned over 250 million yen (approximately US$2.2 million) from the song alone.
Songs earn royalties through multiple formats, including CDs, s from music streaming services, subscriptions, and karaoke. Karaoke in particular was highlighted as the biggest earner for "Gurenge"—the composer earned 3 yen every time the song was selected, and it was the most-selected song in 2020.
When the presenter suggested that if half of Japan's population decided to sing "Gurenge" just once at karaoke, it would have made over 100 million yen (approximately US$910,000), Kusano said that the actual number wasn't quite that high, but it still amounted to an extraordinary sum that she had never seen before.
Musician Takanori Nishikawa, who was a fellow guest on the program, remarked that as a performer, his work is separate from the karaoke experience. On the other hand, the composer is inextricable from a karaoke song. He also suggested that "Gurenge" has the potential to make even more money in the future through karaoke.
According to Kusano, however, "Gurenge" could have performed better than it did, saying that she had been told that if it weren't for the coronavirus, its earnings would have been five times higher.
As for Demon Slayer itself, Kusano remarked that it was "a remarkable show" and amusedly described it as "a household name" when the earnings of "Gurenge" came to light.
The song, performed by topped the digital single ranking chart for 2020. She is the first female artist to top the annual chart.
The song was sang the song during her performances on Kōhaku Uta Gassen ("Red and White Song Contest"), Japan's most-watched music television program, in 2019 and 2020.
