Here's How Much Hayley & Taylor Have Reportedly Been Paid For Olivia's Songs So Far
It's a pretty hefty sum.
When Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album on May 21, it was met with rave reviews, but it’s also seen its fair share of criticism. The singer took inspiration from other musical artists past and present on Sour, and several songs on the record seemingly interpolated songs from other popular artists. It all worked out in the end, however, because Rodrigo credited the other artists by adding them to the credits (albeit a little late). So, how much are these artists, like Hayley Williams and Taylor Swift, making from Olivia Rodrigo's songs? The answer is a lot.
It’s been more than three months since Rodrigo released Sour, but there’s still endless chatter about the record online, especially after the singer’s latest update to the credits. On Aug. 25, Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Josh Farro popped up on the credits list of “Good 4 U.” The song had long seen comparisons to Paramore’s 2007 hit “Misery Business,” so many fans applauded the decision to retroactively add them. But in giving away half of her songwriting credits to the band members, Rodrigo also gave up a hefty portion of the song’s royalties.
According to Billboard, which estimated how much Paramore’s members made from “Good 4 U,” the number is in the millions. The outlet reported the single has generated at least $2.4 million in global publishing royalties, when taking streaming, sales, and airplay activities into consideration.
Swift, who is credited on Sour’s “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” because of an interpolation of her song “New Year’s Day,” is also making out nicely. As Billboard pointed out, the song hasn’t seen as much commercial success as the singles, but it’s still earned more than $258,379 in publishing royalties.
Swift has also picked up an extra paycheck thanks to Rodrigo’s single “Deja Vu.” Swift and her songwriting team were retroactively added as writers for that track as well, which included an interpolation of “Cruel Summer.” Billboard estimated Swift has earned approximately $325,678 in global publishing royalties. Meanwhile, her collaborators, Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark, have earned $260,542 and $65,135, respectively.
Rodrigo’s debut album has seen so much success, so her updated credits list probably isn’t going to impact her. But those involved are definitely making a pretty penny off the record.
