Though Ariana Grande’s thank u, next hit “7 Rings” has 10 songwriting credits, 90% of the songwriting royalties are going to the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, The New York Times reports. Grande’s track interpolates “My Favorite Things,” the The Sound of Music song written by the duo in 1959. Rodgers and Hammerstein died in 1979 and 1960, respectively.
According to The New York Times, Grande’s label (Republic) and representatives brought “7 Rings” to Concord—the music company that’s owned Rodgers and Hammerstein’s catalog since 2017—a few weeks before its January release. Concord received their requested 90% for the license without further negotiation.
In 2006, Gwen Stefani sampled yodeling from The Sound of Music’s “Lonely Goatherd” for her track “Wind It Up”; Rodgers and Hammerstein received 50% of the royalties.
