When you’ve got a smash hit as big as 25, there’s a good chance you had some help. It seems Adele had a lot of help, in fact, and her posse is getting rewarded handsomely, according to Billboard. The 16 songwriters who contributed music to Adele’s latest monster hit have generated a combined $13 million in royalties so far.
After paying publishers and the label, Billboard’s Nielsen-based estimates say that Adele and her co-writers have made approximately $10 million in royalties, publishers $1.9 million, and producers (some of them also songwriters) have made $3.1 million.
Many of those who are cashing in on the massively-successful album are familiar names, including Mark Ronson ($45,000), Bruno Mars ($211,340), Max Martin ($321,000), Danger Mouse ($521,000), and Tobias Jesso Jr. ($382,000).
That said, some below-the-radar producers are also making serious coin on the record — most notably songwriter/producer Greg Kurstin, who has made almost $2.5 million for his work on three songs on 25, including the world-conquering smash single Hello.
Still, it’s Adele herself (who co-wrote each song on the record) that has taken home the most loot, with an estimated $3.8 million in royalties from the sales of 25 so far.
It should be noted that all of the royalties generated by 25 up to this point do not include those from streaming services, whom Adele has refused to give access to the album. Streaming has been contentious among musicians for its low royalty payouts, though whether revenues would have decreased if Adele had decided to allow streaming of the album is disputable due to its immense popularity worldwide.
25 has broken numerous sales records since its release in November, and accounted for a staggering three percent of album sales in the United States in 2015. Just recently, Hello laid claim to another number one spot, climbing to a rather unlikely position at the top of the Adult R&B charts.
As sales of the record-setting release continue to grow with time, contributors stand to rake in even more dough. And while Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars might only make enough for them to buy a nice new car, for indie musicians like Tobias Jesso Jr., the windfall is likely to help propel a musical career for some time to come.
Adele will perform next Monday at the Grammy Awards, and has announced a 56-city tour that will begin this July. Good luck finding a ticket.
