BY Maya • Kosoff Dec. 23, 2014

This past year was great for singer Pharrell Williams. His song "Happy" secured him Grammy nominations for Best Music Video and Best Pop Solo Performance.
Despite Pharrell's ubiquity, "Happy" made $2,700 in publisher and songwriter royalties from 43 million Pandora streams in the first quarter of 2014, according to an email from music publisher Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier obtained by Digital Music News.

In the letter, Bandier said a million streams of a song on Pandora yields roughly just $60 in royalties. "This is a totally unacceptable situation and one that cannot be allowed to continue," Bandier wrote.

Fusion's Rob Wile points out that these numbers aren't all inclusive and don't include performance rights royalty rates, so Pharrell likely earned more than the paltry $2,700 figure.

"According to industry analyst Michael DeGusta, Pharrell would likely have earned approximately $25,000 from the 43 million plays," Wile says.

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