Andrew Schulz shocked as Akon reveals one of his old songs still makes millions every year

by

Akon shared that his hit song ‘Smack That’ still makes a lot of money, earning as much as $1 million every three months and continuing to generate income years after its release.

I was listening to this really interesting interview with Akon on the Flagrant podcast – Andrew Schulz‘s show – and he was talking about how long some songs can keep earning money. He used his song ‘Smack That’ with Eminem, which came out in 2006, as a perfect example. It was cool to hear him break down how those big hits can keep bringing in revenue for years!

Akon said it’s hard to say exactly how much money a hit song will make over its lifetime, because it continues to earn royalties for years to come.

“I can’t tell you the exact number but I can tell you that that record I’ll be getting paid for that record for the rest of my life,” he said.

After Schulz asked whether the song could be worth millions, Akon broke down how much a major hit can earn over time.

“Every three months that record could generate easily about $150,000 to $200,000,” Akon said. “And that’s for in perpetuity.” However, according to Akon, those figures were generated before the rise of streaming platforms and modern digital distribution.

Topic begins at 1:22:00

Akon says streaming and AI have increased a song’s earning potential

The artist noted that the popularity of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Netflix has significantly boosted the worth of established collections of popular songs.

He explained that digital platforms are now much more precise. He used Spotify as an example of early streaming, and then broadened it to describe the current landscape of major digital services like Netflix, Apple, and Amazon.

Akon then claimed that digital revenue effectively tripled the earning potential of a hit record.

“It tripled off top just from that,” he said.

He predicts that advances in artificial intelligence could lead to a substantial increase in music royalty payments in the future.

“And then when AI comes where it now becomes even bigger and global and being attached, it can make easily up to a million dollars a quarter.”

That would equate to roughly $4 million per year from a single song.

Akon noted that the money is split between multiple parties, including songwriters, producers, labels, distributors, and whoever owns the master recordings.

He pointed out that artists who keep ownership of their work and publishing rights could potentially earn enough from a single hit to secure their financial future.

Akon explained that artists often struggle after having just one popular song, saying, “Having a single hit doesn’t guarantee lasting success.” He distinguished between a fleeting hit and a timeless classic, suggesting that a truly classic song has a different impact.

Read More

2026-06-11 16:23