Rebecca Black is not raking in the cash that was predicted after Friday went mega-viral and racked up 35 million views on Youtube. She is, however, earning about £15,000 a week. And, in the face of her haters, will be donating the proceeds to Japan.
Not bad for someone whose offering was dubbed the “worst song ever”.
There was speculation that Black could make around £610,000 from downloads of Friday – perhaps making up for some of the death threats she’s received – but new figures from Billboard put the sum closer to £15,274.
However, Black has made a generous (and PR savvy) move in donating any cash raised by the song. Appearing on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Tuesday, Black said that
the proceeds for Friday will be donated to Japan and to her school.
Rebecca Black’s Friday dubbed “worst song”
Forbes.com previously reported Black’s digital iTunes sales at 2 million, a figure which other publications then ran with. However Forbes has since posted a correction.
Black may still be on the road to riches if she managed to set up a content partner agreement with Youtube before she got her 35 million views. That would have earned her over £10,000 more.
Feast your ears on Rebecca Black’s Friday once more.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga has spoken out in support of the teenage singer.
At the Musicians@Google event on Tuesday, Gaga said she thought Black was “fantastic”.
Gaga continued: “I say Rebecca Black is a genius and anyone that’s telling her she’s cheesy is full of shit.”
It’s unlikely that Gaga is feeling very threatened by Black. Despite the fact that Friday has received 10 million more Youtube views than Born This Way, Gaga’s single has sold 1.65 million units in the US in alone over the last four weeks.
