Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson in "Uptown Funk."
Courtesy of YouTube
Success has many fathers. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars‘ “Uptown Funk” has 11. The track, which is tied for the second-longest reign on the Billboard Hot 100, initially was credited to six songwriters — Ronson, Mars, Jeffrey Bhasker, Philip Lawrence, Devon Gallaspy and Trinidad James — but added the five writers of The Gap Band‘s 1979 hit “Oops Upside Your Head” after their publisher lodged a claim. Billboard estimates the song has earned $2.7 million in publishing royalties (not including TV and film synch revenue), $1.9 million of which has gone to the writers based on their respective publishing deals.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This article first appeared in the June 27 issue of Billboard.