MUSIC
The Weeknd’s record-breaking millions for ‘Blinding Lights’
The song that lit up the 2021 NFL Super Bowl halftime show has surpassed four billion streams on Spotify, raking in millions of dollars.
The Weeknd continues to break records with his song ‘Blinding Lights’ from the album ‘After Hours’, which has earned him millions of dollars. According to a report by Variety, the hit song, which played a big part of the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, has surpassed four billion streams on Spotify, maintaining its position as the most-streamed song of all time on the platform.
‘Blinding Lights’ keeps earning for The Weeknd
Based on calculations made by the publication, this number of streams translates to approximately between $15.5 million and $17.5 million in royalties for the sound recording, plus an additional estimated $4.5 million in publishing. While some services pay more than others and calculations can vary widely, Spotify generally pays between $0.003 and $0.004 per stream.
Despite accumulating over $20 million from just this song, the artist doesn’t receive the entirety of this amount. There are four co-writers, each of whom gets a share, as well as two co-producers, who are likely also receiving a percentage. However, The Weeknd collects the majority of the royalties.
The Weeknd’s fortune calculated
According to Celebrity Net Worth, a website specializing in estimating the fortunes of celebrities, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has a net worth of 300 million dollars. The Canadian artist has sold over 70 million records in the United States alone and has won numerous awards, including several Grammys. Beyond music, The Weeknd has also been involved in various activities, including collaborations with several brands.
Currently, The Weeknd is one of the highest-paid artists in the world. In a year, especially if he is on tour, Tesfaye can reportedly earn more than 90 million dollars before taxes. The specialist website reports that, between June 2017 and June 2018, the singer earned that amount. Between June 2018 and June 2019, The Weeknd earned 40 million dollars.
These earnings are in addition to what he made from his most recent tour, the After Hours til Dawn Tour, which included dates in the United States and abroad, as well as other projects and properties.