He is best known for his iconic hit Somebody That I Used to Know, which topped the charts worldwide and became the best-selling song of the year.
So it would be easy to assume that Belgian-Australian singer Gotye has made millions from the success of his famous song, and that he is guaranteed royalties and streams from the beloved song forever.
But fans may be surprised to hear that the indie musician has barely made a dime from his biggest song.
This is despite billions of streams and an artistic video on YouTube that has been viewed 2.3 billion times.
Gotye, whose real name is Wouter André ‘Wally’ De Backer, is said to have put others first in his business decisions when it came to cashing in on the success of his beloved song.
Gotya is best known for his iconic hit Somebody That I Used to Know (pictured), but some fans may be surprised to hear that the indie musician has barely made a dime from the song.
The singer, whose real name is Wouter André ‘Wally’ De Backer (pictured in 2015), is said to have prioritised others to capitalise on the success of his beloved song
In 2017, Gotye revealed he had chosen not to run pre-roll adverts on his YouTube channel, meaning he didn’t make a cent from the views of his music video.
He told news.com.au: “I’m not interested in selling my music.
“That’s why I don’t run adverts on my YouTube channel, which may seem strange to people in the current climate, but that’s a decision you can make. That’s how I am with all my music. Adverts are taking over our attention all over the world.”
Gotye has also chosen not to license his song for commercial use in films and TV series, previously saying he would rather let other aspiring artists use his song for free.
He added: “I don’t mind syncing my music with creative projects like TV or film. I have my own rules: if a student film wants to use my film, I say yes to everything, without any money involved.
‘If someone wants to use it commercially, I look at the budget and the creativity of the project.’
Anyway, any income Gotye earns from the song has to be divided among multiple parties.
The guitar riff of the song comes from the 1967 song Seville, made by Brazilian composer Luiz Bonfa.
In addition to releasing music with The Basics, Gotye has also founded two record labels: Forgotten Futures and Spirit Level (pictured in 2013)
Gotye must also share his royalties with other artists who worked on the song, such as Kimbra (pictured together at the 2013 Grammy Awards)
Although only two seconds of the song was used, Gotye must give his estate half of the song’s royalties.
The song’s catchy jingle is a xylophone melody that is also based on the children’s song Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, so it may be familiar to some listeners.
Gotye must also share his royalties with other artists who worked on the song, such as Kimbra, but has said he is grateful for the song’s success because it has given him the freedom to pursue other projects.
In addition to releasing music with The Basics, Gotye has also launched two record labels: Forgotten Futures and Spirit Level.
He has also made it his mission to preserve the legacy of French electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey, buying two vintage electronic keyboards and forming the Ondioline Orchestra in New York.
He told Broadsheet in 2018: ‘You can call up an incredibly wide range of sounds online and the unique playback mechanisms allow you to create sounds very sensitively and with a musical dexterity that I don’t think is present on most other electronic instruments from the 1940s – or decades after.’
In July, it was also revealed that Gotye is working on his fourth album, despite his group previously announcing in a ‘joyous but melancholic farewell’ that they were retiring from touring.
In 2017, Gotye revealed that he had opted out of pre-roll ads on his YouTube channel, meaning he didn’t make a cent from the views of his music video (pictured in 2013)
“There are still so many places we want to go and people we want to meet, but with two young families and a medical career between us (not to mention two solo projects and a live music venue!), it just feels like it’s time to draw the line,” the band wrote on Facebook.
“Plans keep getting mentioned and then quickly scrapped, and it just seems fair to make that clear to you and ourselves.”
They went on to explain that they wouldn’t be playing a final show or announcing a farewell tour, so as not to capitalize on the news.
“We’ve always tried to be as sincere as possible, and so we’ve made no such final offer regarding our decision,” they said.
‘Hopefully in a few years, when all the kids are grown up, we can play again. And of course we look forward to bringing you a new Basics record someday, plus new material from Wally and Kris.’