Rebecca Black: Is "Friday" Her Big Pay Day Too?

Now I hesitated writing a post about viral star Rebecca Black and her infamous ode to a certain day of the week. "Friday," which has been viewed 43 million times as of now, is definitely in the running for biggest viral hit (or miss) of the year. The majority of the response from this video and song has been quite negative as it is being tagged "the worst song ever." Even though the song is bad --in production, songwriting, and performance-- I am reluctant to label this song as such. And I'm pretty sure if you think about it, you have heard worse too. I have heard more meaningless songs come from some of the majors who sell a lot more.


Which brings me to the reason why I am talking about this 13 year-old girl. According to a post arriving in my email by digitalmusicnews.com, the claim that this girl is making bank from this video and song may not be so true. Even though this video has a lot more views than pop divas Britney Spears and Lady Gaga's new videos for their hit singles, as of Tuesday, Black's song "Friday" has only put $45,850 in the teen's pocket. Despite that being more cash than most 13 year-olds will acquire in one feat, this just shows that there will be no rags-to-riches story as of yet. 35 million views on YouTube, as of two days ago, only banked the viral star approximately $14,000. Selling 50,000 downloads on iTunes (according to Billboard), subtracting royalties and such, only earned her $31,850. Digitalmusicnews.com states:

Screenshot from Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video.

"The easy interpretation is that Black is laughing her way to the bank, despite being a viral laughingstock.  Black's mom paid just $2,000 for the weekend filming and postwork, according to reports." 


This shows that even though millions of people are streaming does not mean that they are buying the product. Maybe that is because most of the people that watched the video do not care to own or support the song because of their disdain for it. Perhaps, but it is also a fact for most musicians. With the power of the internet making it easier and easier for consumers to get their favorite track for "free-99," it is no secret that most music nowadays is downloaded illegally. It's a vice that the music industry deals with and tries desperately to combat. 


So does a viral hit mean bank? Not necessarily. It does depend on the video and the opportunities that present themselves. The $45,850 claimed to be Black's worth does not include future sales, appearances, or (dare I say it) other songs to be released. She made more money this past week than many independent artists profit in their entire career. And if this money goes towards something like her college education, well we can't hate on that can we. The Internet brings on piracy, yes. But the Internet makes it possible for different ways to promote different kinds of products. So to all my artists out there, take advantage of the web. Whether using social networking sites or coming up with the next viral video hit, the world is one click away. If you can handle it, go get at 'em.


~L~


P.S. Guess what tomorrow is? I so excited. :)


Sources: 
Article: http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/032211friday 
Stats on "Friday" downloads: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/rebecca-black-s-first-week-sales-not-bad-1005084972.story 
Music Video for "Friday": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0