Demon Slayer has its eyes on season two these days, but fans around the globe are still discovering the show’s start each day. It has been awhile since season one hit up audiences, but Tanjiro is rallying marathons and first viewers with ease. And as more fans fall in love with the show, Demon Slayer‘s theme song is growing and earning tons of cash for its creator.
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If you did not know, the anime’s theme song is one of the most popular in anime to date, and that’s quite the feat given how recent the show is. LiSA stunned the fandom with her take on “Gurenge”, and the single went on to win numerous awards while climbing the Billboard ladder. Clearly, the Demon Slayer song is a hit, and its composer is earning tons of money thanks to the song.
Recently, Kayoko Kusano confirmed the royalties from “Gurenge” are in and taking her for a loop. The composer took part in an interview for “Downtown DX” at Nihon TV, and it was there she said “Gurenge” has earned about $2.2 million USD to date. This money is all from royalties, and you may be surprised to learn how much karaoke inflated Kusano’s earnings.
According to the composer, “Gurenge” gets royalties on everything from CD sales to digital downloads and streaming. The song’s use as karaoke clubs is also taken into account, and Kusano gets the share of earnings here as karaoke tracks use nothing but the instrumental track. Kusano said she earns a few bucks in royalties whenever “Gurenge” is selected at karaoke, and the Demon Slayer song was the most-selected track last year in all of Japan.
Clearly, Kusano is rolling in royalties at this point, and she says her earnings could have been multiplied. The composer said her team figures royalties would have been five times higher without COVID-19, but the pandemic did stifle things. Karaoke bars, live performances, and fan-events were heavily restricted all through 2020. This means there were fewer chances for Kusano’s track to rake in cash, but it has done a fine job of turning a profit either way. And if the composer returns for Demon Slayer season two, well – the window of opportunity hasn’t passed quite yet!
Are you stunned by this lofty number? Does “Gurenge” stand as one of your favorite anime themes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
