Legendary singer-songwriter Kate Bush has secured a monumental financial windfall of £10.8 million, driven by the dramatic resurgence of her 1985 hit 'Running Up That Hill' following its feature in the global Netflix phenomenon, Stranger Things.
A Streaming Phenomenon and Publishing Windfall
The track, which originally peaked at No. 3 in the UK charts, was catapulted to global fame in 2022 after its pivotal use in the show's fourth season. It subsequently became the No. 1 single of the year worldwide, according to Billboard. Initial reports indicated Bush had earned roughly £1.9 million in streaming royalties from the renewed interest.
However, newly filed figures for her publishing company, Noble & Brite, reveal that sum was merely the beginning. The company's assets skyrocketed from £2.1 million in 2022 (before the show's release) to an impressive £12.9 million by March of this year. This remarkable growth equates to earnings of nearly £10,000 per day over that period.
Another Payday and Lasting Rights
The financial success story is set to continue. Forty years after its original release, 'Running Up That Hill' will feature once more in the Stranger Things series finale airing on New Year's Eve, guaranteeing the reclusive artist another significant royalty payment.
Bush, 67, has expressed astonishment at the song's renaissance, telling BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: 'It’s such a great series, I thought the track would get some attention. But I never imagined that it would be anything like this. It’s just extraordinary… quite shocking really, isn’t it?' In the series, the song serves as an emotional anchor for the character Max Mayfield, helping her battle supernatural forces.
A key factor in Bush's substantial earnings is her enduring ownership of her master recordings and publishing rights. Unlike many artists of her generation, she retains control as both writer and performer, allowing her to profit directly from every stream, download, and broadcast.
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