Are you sitting down? Good, because I’ve got some shocking news. According to Forbes, “Friday” — the insipid but catchy tune created by Ark Music Factory and performed by shiny-haired 13-year-old Rebecca Black — is pulling in some serious bank.
As of a few seconds ago, Black’s video has some 33.5 million views on YouTube. According to Forbes, that site earns around $1 per thousand page views, and when videos run ads as part of YouTube’s revenue sharing program, the revenue generated is split between YouTube and the content creator — in this case, Ark Music Factory and its star performer. Since content creators get 68 percent of the earnings, the video itself has made Ark and Black $20,000 already. More importantly, hundreds of thousands of people have downloaded “Friday” — as of a few seconds ago, the song is sitting pretty at #33 on iTunes’ Top 100 Singles chart. (And when Forbes‘ post was written last night, “Friday” was #45, meaning it’s only getting more popular.) The iTunes store gives music makers $.70 per download in the U.S., which definitely adds up when download numbers are this high.
Some might sniff that money is small comfort when one has become a national laughingstock at the tender age of 13. To them, I say only this: Enjoy scooping ice cream or folding chinos all summer! What does this news make you want to do, PopWatchers — laugh? Cry? Give Ark Music Factory a call and see if they’re looking for new talent?
Read more:
Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’: The Internet’s latest bizarre music video obsession
Rebecca Black on ‘GMA’: ‘I think I have talent on some level’
Whether she is a bad singer or not, I agree. You may laugh at her, and have thorough discussions with your friends about the sad state of pop music, but you are the one flipping burgers. The joke’s not on her…
Just horrible.
LOL….The only one who will be flipping burgers is her. She won’t see a dime. Yes, the joke is on her because Ark is making money off of people laughing at her.
Now that’s the real question, how well her “company” will compensate her. With all the personal attacks (that had nothing to do with her singing ability) she’s had to endure, I truly hope she’ll be well-compensated. And then maybe she could use it to take some singing lessons.
Most reports say that artists make 10-cents per download after itunes and the label take their cuts. But Ark Media is a sketchy for-fee label so it’s possible she signed over all royalties in exchange for studio and songwriting work.
JOHNN -
You are a complete moron. Many of us make a fantastic salary – I don’t flip burgers.
Second, she is not a millionare. Ark gets most of the profits, she gets a little bit, and then that is taxed.
Third, her parents spent an absolute fortune to get ARK to use her so she is MAYBE breaking even.
So the joke is still on her. While her family makes a small profit, she is a laughing stock and will forever be a joke.
And she is a jewish princess. So she always had a lot of money and always will.
That won’t stop her from turning into a complete loser once she turns to meth to cope with this public meltdown.
Don, I think if you suggest that $2000 is an absolute fortune, you’re not making a “fantastic” salary. The original article suggests that the comparison is between her and others in the same age group.
I’ll let somebody else tackle the antisemitism, because I’ve been taught not to pick on people weaker than myself.
hahah Don Young,
Ya Burnt!
way to be anti-semetic don.
Clearly John was operating under the same assumption as the rest of us, that only kiddies were hating the girl into infamy on twitter…not actual working adults. That’s sad, man. Just sad.
Also, japs don’t have to slum it on meth. They can afford the good stuff.
In all seriousness, embarrassed teens already feel like all eyes are on them so I don’t think it’s any harder to cope when it’s actually true and not just puberty-induced paranoia.
The Joke is still on her. The medievel court jester held a highly visible famous role, but in the end the jester was there only for the court’s amusement.
I cannot…get..this…song…out of my head…! I think this song is remapping my synapses. I’m actually starting to….enjoy this song! Help me Jeevus!
Rebecca Black > Radiohead.
Lol
Yeah, she’s better than a group of skilled musicians who actually deserve every cent they make. Seriously, what kind of world do we live in?
Yeah she’s better than the Beatles and the Stones combined as well.
Again; it’s just a kid having fun. I am guessing a lot of y’all were sportin’ fades, mullets and denim vests with KISS on the back and thinking you were cool. It’s not like falling down in the cafeteria in front of a couple hundred kids (poor Beth, people are still talking about it) but it’s being jeered by millions-billions by this point. Poor kid.
Denim KISS vests? how old are you?
omg i love flipping my burgers at mcdonalds! Dont dis dude
Actually, while I rag on her and debate the sad state of music, I’m not flipping burgers. I’m spinning records for 3 different radio stations in 3 different formats. Rest assured you won’t be hearing her song on any of those stations…
Radio station dj’s stopped being cool in 1973… we aren’t impressed.
Johnn, you hit the nail on the head. It’s not her fault everyone’s watching this obviously horrible music video. She set out to make a music video and she did. Now she’s raking in the dough, even if everyone’s laughing at her. But if you take this as a comedy, then it’s one of the most brilliant comedy bits ever. Genius!
The joke’s on her, trust me. She’s in the late, great phase of celebrity known as Being a Joke, except she skipped past the parts that are actually worth the price of celebrity’s admission. She’s a walking punchline without the benefit of a multi-million dollar contract or a lifetime supply of work to lean on. This is actually the perfect zeitgeist for the culture of today.
While I’d like to blame Black and her parents for all of this, which I still partly do, it’s really everyone else’s fault.
Who wouldn’t take advantage of stupid people who buy this crap?
EXACTLY
Yeah they had to dig deep for those 99 cents…$1.29 if it’s a premium download. You could live large and order off the McDonald’s dollar menu with that kind of dough.
Good for her. I hope she finds a way to laugh all the way to the bank. People are way too harsh
Her voice is horrible, I`m sorry. But in todays music world you don`t have to have a good voice to make it on the charts, all you need is a gimmick and a good producer.
Katy Perry has certainly achieved that.
KAty Perry has a great voice and writes songs. Stop being jealous loser!!!
Yeah… her “voice” and “song writing” are the 2 “talents” you like about her Jason. We believe that…
I suspect she is from an affluent family and needs not to work. However, good for her and like 50 said “Let them haters hate and watch the money pile up.”
Now there’s something I never thought I’d see: Rebecca Black & 50 Cent mentioned in the same breath. Could a duet not be far behind? (their single could be called “Re$pect the Black”)
hahahaha
And the dance remix could feature KE$HA doing hooks.
I always figured this song was a joke and a sort of spoof of the crap that Disney stars put out for real, but I agree with others: the joke’s on anyone who’s seriously shelling out $$$ for this.
And McDonalds…they must be losing a lot of customers who could otherwise have afforded to order off their dollar menu thanks to her.
This will haunt her forever…not enough money in the world.
Yep, I predict she will become a cutter and meth addict before long.
You mean just like you? Does PP stand for Permanently Putrid? Pukes Plenty? Piss Poor?
Well, it’s no “Let’s Go to the Mall” but it’s better than “Sandcastles in the Sand”.
Robin sparkles reference FTW
I can’t believe people are actually shelling out money for this crap. Ugh, people really have no taste.
This is so sad. It just goes to show that people are easily impressed by total mediocrity. I guess people will like anything nowadays. The lyrics don’t have any meaning whatsoever, which exemplifies further that some people are dumb enough to be amused by something that’s as simplistic and juvenile as this. When I am listening to a song or watching a movie, play or television show, I like the story to allow me to think. The people that like this song will probably Twitter to their friends about how cool this song is while misspelling every word, as is likely when your sentence has to be dumbed-down to 140 characters. This song should not be considered music, and is a major disgrace to good music and talented artists.
Wow. You are so smart Vinny. Everyone should be as smart as you.
Rule number one of pointing out the stupidity of others is you do something to add yourself to that list. It’s “people who”, not “people that”.
if you really were smart you would have transcended the pettiness of grammar corrections and not wasted your time comparing this obviously trollish song to television, movies, or “plays” (arn’t we awesome to go see plays! most people dont do that! i must really be worth something). The song is a scam and a parody, for the lawls, for the benjamins, for the lawls over the fact that they could get benjamins off of this. america is the joke here. youll see, youll all see damnit!
But Vinny makes several good points. Can any of you HONESTLY say that mediocrity isn’t winning in our society? Really? I’m no great scholar, no wise and incredibly intelligent person, but my GOD, come on now. Fine, it’s just a young kid having fun. When I was young, we had fun by singing in the mirror with our brushes as mics. The thought of any of those “sessions” being produced and going public makes me wretch. It just isn’t good music, period, and she’s not the only one guilty of it for crying out loud.
What in the hell is this world coming to???
It’s not just music. The entire Palin regime is based upon mediocrity. (And I don’t even say that as an attack on Palin – that’s her platform. Cater to the dumb masses.)
I can understand why people are saying that she’s laughing all the way to the bank and things like that. But honestly, I would never want to be making money from giving up my dignity. That’s right, I said dignity. If I were to have recorded a song like this, I would lose my dignity. And I’d rather be poor or folding chinos all summer and still have my dignity.
Very very very well said. Could not agree more.
I agree with you, however, some people would look at folding chinos as undignified. I’d rather do it though than release that horrible song.
I’d rather be poor and fold chinos for work then be rich for perpetuating this crap. If I were to create something I’d like to be proud of it, not just rich off it.
Thank you. I completely agree. It’s kind of sad that so many people have the opposite attitude.
Extremely sad and frustrating too.
How much money did Black herself receive? My guess is not very much.
I seriously doubt “hundreds of thousands” of people downloaded that song from itunes.
There must be something wrong with iTunes, some kind of glitch, because they’re showing Kesha/Blow in the #5 slot, and I know that CANNOT be right…
In a semi-related story, how is “Friday” NOT something you could totally hear Ke$ha singing?
Or really anyone in the itunes top 5?
Really. The majority of the iTunes 100 gives me a you-kids-get-off-my-lawn-esque shiver of rage.
think about the people that actually buy music on itunes. what type of people are they, and what music do they like? i think that should clear up the confusion and WTFs over her ‘chart-toping’ness
Really, “psoriasis?” Crap music has nothing to do with iTunes. There’s plenty of amazing music on iTunes.
Furthermore, if you do a simple Google search, you’ll find that the 70-cents per song is bogus. Most artists make about 10-cents per download.
that awesome! everyone stop hatin’ on a little girl!!! If this were kesha or some big star would be right there. But she is a little girl come on world!
Mike,
While I will agree that the “cutter and meth addict” cracks are a little bit over the line, this girl put herself out there. No one forced her to record this awful song.
Right. Because thirteen year olds excel at foresight and determining artistic merit.
Her next project will see her as the star of an episode of Intervention.