The composer of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba‘s chart-topping opening theme song “Gurenge” appeared on Nihon TV‘s “Downtown DX” program on Thursday. According to an estimate revealed on the program, Kayoko Kusano has earned over 250 million yen (approximately US$2.2 million) from the song alone.
Songs earn royalties through multiple formats, including CDs, downloads from music streaming services, subscriptions, and karaoke. Karaoke in particular was highlighted as the biggest earner for “Gurenge”—the composer earned 3 yen every time the song was selected, and it was the most-selected song in 2020.
When the presenter suggested that if half of Japan’s population decided to sing “Gurenge” just once at karaoke, it would have made over 100 million yen (approximately US$910,000), Kusano said that the actual number wasn’t quite that high, but it still amounted to an extraordinary…
