Like, rich enough to buy a yacht? To buy a small country? How rich is Crazy Horse? For that matter, who is Crazy Horse?
In other words, did Neil Young manage to make commercial success from his very rampant fandom?
$65 million according to this site, which may or may not be accurate.
I would have thought more, but what do I know?
For what it’s worth.
mmm
Starting in 1995 Young owned 20% of Lionel trains since he is a big fan of model trains. Lionel went through a bankruptcy starting in 2004 and as a result he is no longer a part owner. I assume that means the share he owned went way down, maybe to $0. They came out of bankruptcy in 2008. He is now a consultant for the company.
claps
A band which has frequently collaborated with Young as his backup band, though they’ve done a fair amount without Young, as well (including, it appears, six original albums). They’ve been around since the late 1960s under that name (and earlier under other names, with different lineups).
The band consists of three guys: Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina (both of whom have been with the band since '68), and Frank “Poncho” Sampedro, who joined in '75. There’ve been others in the band, particularly in the early 1970s, but it looks like it’s largely been those three for decades.
They’ve been longtime working musicians, and likely get some amount of residuals from their discography (particularly their work with Young). Assuming that they haven’t been stupid with their money, I’d guess that their wealth is somewhere north of “scraping by,” but almost undoubtedly somewhere south of Young’s.
The truth is, most working musicians make very little money. Courtney Love said that when Hole’s album sold 1 million copies, the band members made about $50,000 each from it. If you don’t have songwriting credits, it’s hard to make real money unless you are constantly working your ass off or if you get into a very popular band.
Even top musicians in large symphonies don’t get paid that much. Berklee did a survey that found symphony musicians get paid between $28,000 and $108,000 per year, with the higher end of the range being featured performers in large, popular symphonies.
Crazy Horse does not sell millions of copies of their albums. My guess would be that they probably did ok while touring with Young, but as Crazy Horse they are probably not making all that much, and may even have to do other work to get by. I just looked them up and they aren’t even touring right now, and when they last did they were playing 2,000 seat venues. In those circumstances, the band probably makes most of its money from Merchandise sales like T-shirts. To supplement their income, some bands are getting deals where they can buy a block of tickets to their own shows, then re-sell them through scalpers for a profit. That’s one of the reasons why it can be so hard to get tickets when a show first goes on sale - most are already being held back for the artist or others.
Bottom line is that no one is getting rich touring 2,000 seat venues. If it’s a solo act or duo, the money might be substantial. But a 5 piece band? Not so much.
Thanks, Sam Stone. That is really an eye-opener.
I really wonder for artists like these how much is them and how much is their backing band, and how much they can bring in a place like Malaysia, where I am now.
TWEET
Flag on the play. Mis-attributed song credit. 15 yards, replay the down.
I don’t think Neil has enough to be The Emperor of Wyoming, but there’s plenty of Silver & Gold Down By the River that flows beneath his Mansion on the Hill. He certainly has found his own El Dorado, as evidenced by his Heart of Gold.
I know, but I couldn’t resist.
mmm
Did his iPod like player ever get off the ground?
I’m sure your post is addressing Crazy Horse specifically and I agree.
But Neil Young does have songwriting credits and is not a “working musician”. I don’t know how rich he is but I’d be skeptical of internet estimates. I have more than a passing association with Graham Nash and he’s doing OK.
There was a programme on TV here a while ago that looked at who made the money out of popular music. The outstanding winners were the writers, especially if they did it on their own. This is because they not only get paid for the original song, but also they get a percentage every time someone covers it. If you can write a Christmas special, you may have an income for life (and beyond). Irving Berlin made a lot more out of White Christmas than Bing Crosby.
From my (very limited) knowledge of How To Make A Living As A Songwriter*, my understanding is that the best one can do is to get a tune played on a TV show or in a movie. That’s how someone like Mark E. Smith was able to scrape along. I also understand that Neil Young has declined such usage for his tunes, so there’s that.
*“You’re better off playing the lottery.”
How rich do you think you need to be to “buy a yacht”? Without even looking anything up, I’d be shocked to find out that Young could not “buy a yacht”.
If you ask me, that’s exactly how it should be. The people who write the songs are making a far greater and more lasting contribution than the ones who sing them.
I’m guessing he can finally afford a maid.
I think it shows the audience becoming more selective.
Right - Neil Young is enormously wealthy, but most are not. Back several years ago in some interview Young took a benign stance on online piracy, saying it didn’t hurt him any and he sort of saw it as the “new radio.” Johnny Hickman, the guitarist for Cracker, made a very heated response - piracy may not hurt established millionaires like Young, but “hundredaires” like Hickman lose real revenue which they do kinda need.
Say Neil wanted to make a million dollars (after expenses).
All he would have to do is call Crazy Horse or another group and head out for a concert tour.
How many nights would he have to play at mid size venues in large cities in the US to make this kind of money?