The Beatles are one of the most successful rock bands of all time, however, one of its members has a lower net worth than the others.
Highlights
The Beatles’ songwriting royalties were only paid to the members who wrote the songs, leading to John Lennon and Paul McCartney earning significantly more than Ringo Starr and George Harrison.
Ringo Starr, despite being named the wealthiest drummer in the world with a net worth of $350 million, is actually the poorest member of The Beatles.
Paul McCartney is currently the richest member of The Beatles with a net worth of $1.2 billion, largely thanks to his successful music career and ownership of publishing copyrights.
The Beatles are one of the most successful bands of all time. With plenty of hit singles and popular songs, this band has estimated sales of over 600 million records across the world. Despite splitting up almost five decades ago, The Beatles are still making millions with the release of documentaries and even new songs made with AI.
Back in the day, 25 percent of The Beatles’ sales, from concerts, merchandise, and records sales, went to their manager Brian Epstein. The rest of the money was split equally between the four Beatles.
However, songwriting royalties were paid only to those who wrote the songs. Given that most of the band’s songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, these two musicians earned significantly more than Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Unsurprisingly, one of these two happens to be the poorest member of The Beatles.
Despite Being One Of The Wealthiest Drummer In The World, Ringo Starr Is the Poorest Member of The Beatles
In 2020, Ringo Starr was named the wealthiest drummer in the world, with a net worth of $350 million. He made a lot of money with The Beatles and after the band separated, he continued to have a rather successful career as a solo artist. In fact, since the 1970s, Starr has released 18 solo albums and has toured the world with his All-Starr Band.
In addition to his successful music career, Starr also has a moderately successful acting career. He’s appeared on children’s television shows such as Thomas & Friends and Shining Times Station, he’s also co-starred in films such as Candy, That’ll Be the Day, Son of Dracula, and Caveman, as well as appearing in Martin Scorsese’s documentary The Last Waltz in 1976.
With his impressive net worth, Starr has invested plenty of money in real estate. He has homes in Sunninghill in Berkshire, the Chelsea area of London, and Los Angeles. Despite his massive wealth, Starr is the poorest member of The Beatles.
The second-poorest member of this popular band is the late George Harrison, who had amassed a $400 million net worth at the time of his passing. He made most of his wealth as a solo artist, which began with the release of the album All Things Must Pass in 1970, which contained all the songs he had written when he was in The Beatles but his bandmates disregarded.
Plus, in the late 1980s, Harrison formed a band with Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty, called The Traveling Wilburys, which was extremely successful. Even after his death, Harrison continued to make millions after his family released the album Brainwashed, which contained his final songs.
John Lennon Was Worth Approximately $200 Million When He Died
At the time of his passing in 1980, John Lennon had amassed a $200 million net worth, which would be approximately $800 million today. Back in the day, Lennon was set to become one of the wealthiest members of The Beatles. Not only did he co-write many of the band’s biggest hits, but he also continued to have a successful solo career after he left The Beatles. Even today, his song ‘Imagine’ is one of the most popular anti-war songs of all time.
Reportedly, Lennon’s biggest investments were in real estate. In 1970, the musician bought a New York building called The Dakota, where he lived until his death. Eight years later, Lennon bought a 600-acre farm near Franklin, New York, for $178,000.
In October 1980, Lennon released his last album, Double Fantasy. Although the record was not well-received immediately after its release, it quickly topped the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom after his death. This is why Lennon is still considered one of the richest musicians after their passing. Nowadays, Lennon’s primary heir, Yoko Ono has a reported net worth of $700 million.
Paul McCartney Is The Richest Of The Beatles Thanks To His $1.2 Billion Net Worth
Today, Paul McCarney is the richest member of The Beatles with an outstanding $1.2 billion net worth. The former The Beatles bassist is even richer than successful musicians such as Mick Jagger.
Although he considered quitting music after The Beatles split up, McCartney went on to have a rather successful music career, first with the band Wings, and later on as a solo artist. Between The Beatles and his solo career, this musician has sold more than 100 million albums and 100 million singles. Even today, at age 81 McCartney continues making new music and touring the world.
Moreover, the former Beatles member makes a ton of money from owning the publishing copyrights of successful artists such as Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly. According to Express, nowadays, McCartney earns up to £70 million a year, mainly from music royalties. This is how McCartney is maintaining his massive net worth even after losing millions to his ex-wife Heather Mills.
