Gotye Made Way Less Money From 'Somebody That I Used To Know' Than You Probably Thought

'Somebody That I Used to Know,' written and performed by Gotye and featuring vocals from Kimbra, became one of the most popular songs of 2011, and it has remained the singer's signature track since then. The song reached the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. More than 20 millions of copies of the single were sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling digital singles of all time.

Its official music video reached the staggering numbers of 2.1 billion views and 14 million likes on YouTube — and these numbers just keep growing.

One would think that Gotye made tons of money off that song, but this isn't exactly the case. Surely, the artist's earnings from 'Somebody That I Used to Know' were not mere pennies, but his revenue turned out to be much smaller than it could have been — and here's why.

According to Complex, Gotye once made a deal with the estate of late South American musician Luis Bonfa, which allowed him to use a sample of Bonfa's music for his song in exchange for production credits and 45% of royalties.

The deal seemed insignificant back then, simply allowing Gotye, who was still a little-known musician, to pay tribute to someone who inspired his music… But the song in which he used Bonfa's sample turned out to be a worldwide hit — 'Somebody That I Used To Know.'

So, consequently, Bonfa became a millionaire posthumously. It has been reported that, by May 2013, his estate earned over $1 million from the sales of Gotye's song. This suggests that the singer himself has made lots of money from the song too — but nowhere as much as he could have earned if it wasn't for that Bonfa deal.

What's worse, Gotye hasn't taken advantage of his music video's popularity on YouTube. Reportedly, the clip has never featured any advertisements, which means the artist is not earning money from it.

But despite all these missed opportunities, Gotye doesn't seem to be struggling financially. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the musician's fortune reaches $10 million, and we can safely say his future is secure.

Source: Complex.