Savage’s “Swing” - Publishing Royalties

Twenty-one years after it was released, this catalog just posted the largest single distribution in its history and the highest trailing twelve months on record. Earnings of $13,171 sit 21% above the three-year average.

"Swing" has had three chart lives. It was a New Zealand number one for five weeks in early 2005, then it faded. A bar scene in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up carried it into the American market, where the 2008 US release reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum. In 2013 an Australian producer rebuilt it for the dance floor, and that version reached No. 2 on the ARIA singles chart, spent five weeks atop Australia's dance chart, and was certified four times platinum. The catalog holds three tracks, and all three are versions of that one song.

For an investor, the case is a record with a twenty-one-year history of coming back. It has done it three times, and measured by when the streams actually happened, its earnings have increased five years running with a CAGR of 13.8%.

"Swing" is one of the more improbable crossover stories in modern hip-hop: a single from a New Zealand rapper that won over three different markets and three different genres across two decades.

Originally released in 2005 by South Auckland rapper Savage, the song spent five weeks at number one on the New Zealand singles chart, carried by an insistent beat and a call-and-response hook that made it an instant club favorite. Its international breakthrough came with the 2008 United States release featuring Soulja Boy, which reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling more than 1.5 million copies and making Savage the first New Zealand artist to go platinum in America.

A second remix, featuring Pitbull, layered his Latin-inflected rap over the track and broadened its reach across new global markets. A third, by Australian producer Joel Fletcher, rebuilt the song as electronic dance music, with pulsing beats and festival-ready drops that carried it to number two on the ARIA chart in 2014 and a four-times-platinum certification in Australia. One composition, proven across pop, club, and dance audiences alike.

Exchange Rates. Royalties for this asset are reported by Universal Music Publishing Group Australia in Australian Dollar (AUD). To calculate royalty payments in U.S. Dollars (USD), Royalty Exchange applies the average historical exchange rate for the distribution month (via X-rates.com).

Future royalties will be paid to Royalty Exchange in AUD converted to USD upon receipt, and then paid in USD to the buyer. The receiving bank may increase the exchange rate by up to 2.5% as a transaction fee. 

Earnings Note. 2024 includes approximately $3,200 in earnings from Peloton for "Swing (Remix)." Any similar payments in the future will be payable to the buyer.

Earnings Note. 2H2025 includes approximately $1,500 in user-generated content royalties from YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels. Any similar payments in the future will be payable to the buyer.

Earnings Note. A 5% tax withholding will be deducted from royalty payments going forward based on the current tax treaty between the U.S. and Australia. The earnings history presented in the listing are net payments after the 5% withholding.

Data Note. Universal Music Publishing Group Australia does not report some of its earnings by territory. You'll notice in the bar chart below that this portion is listed as unreported.