Over the course of her career,Ariana Grandehas created some massive hits. However, things are not always what they seem. She has some songs so personal thatGrande won’t play them live, and to many fans' surprise,her biggest hit has caused her to lose out on a lot of money. It’s not uncommon for royalties to be split different ways, especially whenpop collaborationstake place, or if artists choose to cover certain songs, but in Grande’s case, she has practically given up everything.
Often, in many situations, you have to spend money to make money, so maybe this was her approach. As it is, she has spent years building her career fromNickelodeon child starinto a pop star who has taken over the world. In order to achieve the fame she has, there’s no doubt that big risks are necessary, butshe is proof that when they pay off, they can be life-changing. Certainly, Grande giving up most of the royalties to her biggest song was a gamble, but in many ways, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Ariana Grande Agreed To Give 90% Of “7 Rings”’s Royalties To Rodgers & Hammerstein
A 1959 Creation Is Still Inspiring
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a theater writing team responsible for creating a few of Broadway’s biggest musicals ever. Over the course of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s career together, they produced many shows, includingOklahoma!,Carousel,South Pacific,The King and I, andThe Sound of Music. The 1959 production ofThe Sound of Musicbecame so well-known thatin 1965, it was adapted into a movie starring the incredible Julie Andrews.
Over the course of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s career together, they produced many shows, including Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound Of Music.
Many songs fromThe Sound of Musicbecame timeless classics, such as “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” and “My Favorite Things,” which is the song Ariana Grande sampled from to create her track “7 rings.” The first similarities between the two tracks is of course, the titles. Both have the same flow to them, but that was only a piece of what Grande took. The main reason for the royalties was the fact that the melodies were the same. Upon hearing her version, it was clear to fans which song this was following.
Since there was no mistaking that “7 rings” was derived from “My Favorite Things,” Grande’s team put up no fight when it came to negotiations on royalties. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s catalog is owned by Concord, and they were the ones who requested the 90% fee for the licensing of the song. According toTheNew York Times,Grande’s team from the label Republic put up no objection, and the terms were agreed to just weeks before the song’s release.
Grande’s Hit About Money Proved She Wasn’t Hurt By Losing It
Some Things Are Worth The Cash
Although Ariana Grande agreed to give up 90% of the royalties to “7 rings,“there may have been a chance for her team to negotiate that number lower. In 2006, Gwen Stefani sampled yodeling from “The Lonely Goatherd,” which also came fromThe Sound of Music,but Stefani only had to give up 50% of the royalties for her song “Wind It Up.” There is a chance that Grande appreciated the musical so much that she didn’t need a substantial amount for her song.
As many fans know, she is a huge musical theater fan, and she even recently starred in the hit film,Wicked. There’s no doubt she respects all things theater, so it may have been more of an honor being able to use a song from a legendary production, than what money could provide. Plus, if you listen to the song, money doesn’t seem to be an issue. Grande talks about wearing the fanciest jewelry, buying new hair, and has the famous line that says"Whoever said money can’t solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve ‘em.”
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Regardless of the monetary value she received, “7 rings” helped propel Ariana Grande into megastardom. The song alone has over two billion streams on Spotify, and the video has over one billion views on YouTube. It also helpedthank u, nextto be certified 2x Platinum in the United States, making the exposure the song helped gain totally worth the investment. Now,Ariana Grande is one of the biggest stars in the world, demonstrating that inspiring the next generation, taking risks, and honoring the past are a few of her favorite things.
