One of the many things that winning a substantial lottery allows you to do is to compare your newfound wealth to that of your favorite entertainers. If the lottery in question is one of the big ones, such as the United States’ Superlotto or the UK’s Lottoland or Powerball, then the amount compares favorably to the career cash of some of the wealthiest music bands of all time.
As a quick example before we get into the top 6 wealthiest bands of all time, consider a particular Powerball lottery winner who took home a life-changing $768 million (before taxes!) back in late March of 2018.
By way of comparison, the band Aerosmith – which will show up later on this list – has grossed over half-a-billion dollars in half-a-century of performing. Each band member has made over $100 million in their lifetime, which, with 5 band members overall, is in the same stratosphere as the third-largest lottery jackpot ever.
1. U2 – Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
A couple of band members have come and gone over the years, but this Irish rock group has the staying power oof bonafide legends. Responsible for timeless classics, the groups’ resident crooner, Bono Vox, is himself worth nearly $700 million! Of course, it was his early investment in social media giant Facebook that is responsible for his stratospheric bank account.
As for the group, itself, U2 has a reported net worth of $748 million from their numerous tours, CDs and musical engagements. Adam Claton’s personal wealth is around $13 million, and The Edge’s personal net is about $240 million.
2. Metallica – Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo
Like most incredibly successful rock and metal groups, Metallica has seen members come and go – the above four have the most staying power, and remain with the group today. As one of the four “King Groups” of thrash metal, Metallica has a recorded 102 million units sold throughout the world, where there cacophonous death metal band has an amazing net worth of $1 billion – with each of its members being hundred millionaires, themselves in order to tally up to billionaire status.
3. The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul Mcartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison
The above refers to the original, starting members; several have died – including John Lennon, who has gained an almost mythical status before and since then. They are widely considered as the modern-day “founders” of pop and rock, and absolutely mesmerized for a decade.
With only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as the remaining living members of the Magical 4, they form the groups combined net worth of about $1.2 billion. When compared to the biggest lottery jackpot of all time which was $1.6 billion, you may not lay claim to their status – but you could certainly live a similar lifestyle (minus the adoring fans).
4. Pink Floyd – David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason and Sid Barrett
An extremely popular and enigmatic group that was birthed in the United Kingdom, Pink Floyd is a rock group that truly pushed progressive music of this variety to new limits. Although their highest-grossing albums were “the Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”, they had enough success in following albums to sell almost 121 million units worldwide.
Pink Floyd officially broke up in the 1990s; but their collective net worth exceeds $800 million. There’s wide range between the distribution of this wealth among the members, however, with Syd Barrett being worth $5 million, Nick Mason and David Gilmour having $150 million each, Rick Wright $70 million, and Roger Waters standing tallest with $310 million.
5.The Rolling Stones
What would a band compilation be without this nonpareil blues-rock group? The Rolling Stones exploded on to the scene in the early 1960s and, all their band members have changed a good deal over the years, the banner under which they flew and fly still has all of its power as a brand name.
Collectively, The Rolling Stones have sold 99.3 million record units around the world, and the most current incarnation of the group still sells out arenas today. Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and crew have amassed fortunes that collectively exceed $900 million – sums of cash that have only been approached (and exceeded in rare cases) by mega-lotteries such as the Powerball, Superlotto and Mega Millions Lotto.
6. Aerosmith – Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford, Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton
The androgynous crooner Steven Tyler is probably the most well-known member of the band – his electric vocals and lovely actress daughter have quite a bit to do with that. Nonetheless, every single member of Aerosmith contributes to their gigantic net worth, most of which comes from tours, albums and their 85.6 million units sold around the planet. Steven Tyler is worth $130 million, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer have netted $100 million, Brad Whitford $40 million and Joe Perry with $120 million.
