Adele has £50m, but how did she make it?
Discussion
I was just reading that Adele is the UK's richest 'young' musician, having amassed a personal fortune of £50m. We're always hearing about how piracy and streaming has pulled the rug out from under the feet of recorded music revenues, so how does a musician make this sort of money? How would Adele's £50m break down if it were illustrated as a pie chart?
Isn't the issue more that the record companies won't take risks anymore, and won't allow artists time to build/grow? Adele had a moderately good debut album that sold ridiculously well on the back of a combination of social media and traditional media reviews, becoming this generation's Sade for dinner parties. Had that first album not lucked in she'd have been quietly dropped.
MitchT said:
how does a musician make this sort of money? How would Adele's £50m break down if it were illustrated as a pie chart?
I'll take a guess - A fat bird singing on a chair is comparitively inexpensive and she sold a metric f--kton of units, keeping most of the moolah for herself. If it were illustrated in a pie chart, it'd be a huge steak pie being eaten by a fat bird who spends no money and receives lots of money - which she keeps.AKA Her music sold ballistically round the whole world, got licensed for movies, adverts everything. her promotion didn't involve horrifically complex/wacky/expensive marketing, touring, promotional wizardy and she gets a larger-than-average proportion of the songwriting, singing etc. royalties.
MitchT said:
I was just reading that Adele is the UK's richest 'young' musician, having amassed a personal fortune of £50m. We're always hearing about how piracy and streaming has pulled the rug out from under the feet of recorded music revenues, so how does a musician make this sort of money? How would Adele's £50m break down if it were illustrated as a pie chart?
Is Calvin Harris not young at 31 with £70m?Zoon said:
Is Calvin Harris not young at 31 with £70m?
THIRTY ONE?!!!! how old? jeez grandad.- cries into his pint*
PBDirector said:
I'll take a guess - A fat bird singing on a chair is comparitively inexpensive and she sold a metric f--kton of units, keeping most of the moolah for herself. If it were illustrated in a pie chart, it'd be a huge steak pie being eaten by a fat bird who spends no money and receives lots of money - which she keeps.
AKA Her music sold ballistically round the whole world, got licensed for movies, adverts everything. her promotion didn't involve horrifically complex/wacky/expensive marketing, touring, promotional wizardy and she gets a larger-than-average proportion of the songwriting, singing etc. royalties.
Have you seen her recently?AKA Her music sold ballistically round the whole world, got licensed for movies, adverts everything. her promotion didn't involve horrifically complex/wacky/expensive marketing, touring, promotional wizardy and she gets a larger-than-average proportion of the songwriting, singing etc. royalties.
Zoon said:
Is Calvin Harris not young at 31 with £70m?
Apparently the category specifically refers to musicians under 30.Bradgate said:
I believe Adele writes her own songs which is, and always has been, where the real money is made.
Not if all your music is being consumed via Spotify, or illegally, as seems to be de rigueur these days, which is why I’m wondering how the percentages of income from all revenue streams break down.okgo said:
Zoon said:
Is Calvin Harris not young at 31 with £70m?
He is utterly creaming it isn't he. wasn't it 40 million just last year?fair play to him, aged 30, getting paid millions to travel around in private jets and play music and getting a swing at taylor swift..... the boy is living the dream! however one thing that really bugs me, his names not even calvin harris, its f**king Adam Willes!!
okgo said:
He is utterly creaming it isn't he. wasn't it 40 million just last year?
I think it was on the radio the other day talking about this list, Adele brought in £5m last year and (as far I know) didn't really do anything at all. Like someone else said, wrote the songs, so gets the income from radio play. Does she get a couple of pence every time someone streams "Skyfall", or when it was on the TV the other week?I know a sound engineer who makes not a lot yet gets a few pennies from some music that he wrote decades ago. Does OK out of it.
I still can't quite get being paid loads to play other people's records and they don't take any requests anymore
" 'Ere mate, stick some Jilted John on would ya!!"
I still can't quite get being paid loads to play other people's records and they don't take any requests anymore
" 'Ere mate, stick some Jilted John on would ya!!"
PRS pay the composer every time it is played (theoretically anywhere in the world, but I never see any money from Italy or Greece!). Current rate for prime time TV for UK is £84 per minute. It's based on estimated viewing figures, so coast to coast in the USA is worth a lot more.
PPL pay the musicians who play on the tracks - it's nothing like as much.
This is just for jobbing musos like me... If you are famous and allow your music to be associated with a brand it can be VERY lucrative.
Beckham makes more from his name than he ever did with his boot.
PPL pay the musicians who play on the tracks - it's nothing like as much.
This is just for jobbing musos like me... If you are famous and allow your music to be associated with a brand it can be VERY lucrative.
Beckham makes more from his name than he ever did with his boot.
Bradgate said:
I believe Adele writes her own songs which is, and always has been, where the real money is made.
Indeed - She makes lots from royalties - her stuff is on telly, films and radio all the time - she seems to have written many 'go to' songs for things like 'The Voice' and all the programs of that ilk and had many covers of her stuff performed by other artists.That's where the cash is.
Normally you could also add merchandising and tours but I don't think that's somewhere where she's as strong.
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