In December 1966, RAVE magazine tried to figure out just how much each of The Beatles had earned that year, crunching live appearances, songwriting, films, and various other streams of income. (For fans seeking a bit of chronology, this attempt occurred between Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.)
The conclusion? Being a Beatle was pretty damned lucrative, though it should be remembered that this didn’t include the taxman or the fact that through questionable business decisions a good chunk of this money never actually reached the Fab Four. We’ve converted the sums from pounds into dollars and also listed their present buying power. (And yes, John and Paul did earn more, but the gap might not be as wide as you’d expect.)
We’ve also included their current net worths to show how lucrative it remains to have been in the world’s biggest band.
Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles.
Ringo Starr
1966: $2,027,000 (buying power in 2016: $15,104,000)
vs.
2016: $300 Million (estimated net worth)
George Harrison
1966: $2,050,000 (buying power in 2016: $15,275,000)
vs.
2001: (estate at time of death): $300 million
John Lennon
1966: $3,334,000 (buying power in 2016: $24,843,000)
vs.
1980 (estate at time of death): $500 million (220 million pounds)
(Note: Lennon earned $12 million in the last year.)
Paul McCartney
1966: $3,334,000 (buying power in 2016: $24,843,000)
vs.
2016: With earnings of $56.5 million in the last 12 months alone, it is believed the Cute One’s net worth is between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion.
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