Angus Young Becomes The Richest AC/DC Member, This Is His Wealth
JAKARTA - Angus Young is the richest member of AC/DC. He has joined the band since its founding and has songwriting credits on their biggest hits.
Other members such as Cliff Williams and Brian Johnson also have a high net worth, but they haven't been able to catch up with Angus yet.
AC/DC still have its music rights, although Sony acquired it in 2021; the band is still touring and making millions of dollars per year.
Since the band was formed in 1973, AC/DC has undergone a number of changes to the lineup of members. Angus, the original founding member (and lead guitarist), was the only person to have survived this group since its inception.
Even so, the group does not always lose members due to internal problems. AC/DC lost several members due to health problems, such as Bon Scott in 1980, Malcolm Young in 2017, and Paul Matters in 2020.
However, they continued, acquiring new members for years, some of whom also came out and came back again.
However, of all, Angus is the richest member, which may not come as a surprise given the amount of investment he invested in AC/DC over the years.
Angus helped set up AC/DC in 1973 with the late Malcolm, and at the time, the group consisted of Larry Van Kriedt, Colin Allah, and Dave Evans. As the only person to have survived the band since its inception, it makes sense that Angus is the richest AC/DC member with a net worth of 160 million US dollars.
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Angus has songwriting credits on some of AC/DC's biggest hits. Bon Scott, Malcolm, and Angus shared awards for the group's big hits Highway to Hell.
For the huge success album Back in Black, Brian Johnson, Angus, and Malcolm shared writing credits for the album's lead singles, You Shock Me All Night Long, and Hells Bells, among others.
Obviously, these important credits help increase members' income over time. But how rich are the current AC/DC members, including current members and former members?
Cliff Williams and Brian Johnson also have the same high net worth, although they haven't been able to match Angus. Cliff is said to have a fortune of 100 million US dollars and Brian 90 million US dollars, by 2023. Other members, both current and former, are worth much lower.
For example,iod Young, AC/DC guitarist and backup vocalist since 2014, only has a wealth of 1-4 US dollars. This makes sense, given the many AC/DC hits that come from the band's past.
However, bandmates like Phil Rudd, who have long joined AC/DC since 1975, are less than a third of Angus's value; Rudd is worth about 50 million US dollars. As for the original AC/DC member who debuted with Angus, the three who were still alive each had a fortune of 5 million US dollars or less.
Apparently, songwriting credits greatly determine the long-term income of each member of the band, but possession of songs and transfer of ownership may also have an impact on AC/DC revenue.
It also affects which songs the band wants to play; Brian Johnson refuses to play a song he sees as the hallmark of the late Bon Scott.
Malcolm Young died in 2017, and at the time, his fortune was 100 million US dollars. With a lot of writing credit on various albums, Malcolm is one of the richest members of AC/DC. However, given that he is the older brother of Angus, it makes sense that Malcolm's property may be related to his brother's net worth in some ways.
Malcolm leaves a wife and two children, so it is assumed that they inherited his inheritance, although it is unclear how musical ownership could impact the future income of the inheritance.
Many individual bands and artists end up selling their catalogs, often due to financial problems. Tina Turner sold her catalog for $50 million, rapper Nelly sold her catalog for cash, and Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac have also sold their music rights.
However, this does not apply to AC/DC. The band, which is still regularly performing and conducting tours with The Rolling Stones in 2023, is said to have its music rights under the family's label, Alberts.
However, in 2021, Sony gained the band's music rights through a partnership with Alberts, explained Billboard. From the deal, Sony Music Publishing stated that this partnership will "provide new opportunities for AC/DC."
It's unclear what chances might exist, but the fact that the band is still on tour and still generating huge revenues is a good sign. In fact, the band as a whole is said to make more than $10 million per year, and several years (like those who toured) historically generated AC/DC more than 177 million US dollars.
After decades of working in this industry, nothing needs to be ridiculed, especially if most of the revenue is divided between the main members/members of today's band.