(Credits: Far Out / Paul & Linda McCartney / Album Cover)
There is no denying that music has made Paul McCartney a very wealthy man. A member of possibly the most famous and influential band to ever exist, McCartney’s time in The Beatles is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his worth.
Within the Beatles, McCartney wrote some of the best known songs in history. His 1965 track ‘Yesterday’ is the most covered song in history, recorded by more than 2,200 other artists. Similarly, ‘Let It Be’, ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Hey Jude’ follow quickly behind as some of the most beloved songs in history.
In total, The Beatles have six diamond albums, the highest certification for record sales an artist can receive, meaning the albums have sold over 10million copies worldwide. You might think it is a Beatles song that made Paul McCartney the most money as he penned over 70 songs for the band as the main composer. But the song that has made him wealthiest is surprising.
McCartney’s 1979 Christmas song ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ makes him more money every year than the entire Beatles discography combined. Every Christmas, the song generates between $400,000 and $600,000 for the songwriter.
Having written all the lyrics, played all the instruments on the track and kept tight control of the royalty agreement, ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ is Paul McCartney’s most lucrative song.
What is Paul McCartney’s net worth?
With the combined income from his solo work, Wings releases, and Beatles discography, Paul McCartney’s wealth only grows yearly. Having kept tight control of his royalty agreements, his solo efforts especially bring in a lot of cash.
In 2023, it was projected that McCartney’s net worth would tick over a billion. Calculated at £950 million in May 2023, his recent exhibition with the National Portrait Gallery, photography book and recent live shows are expected to push him into billionaire status by next year.
How many records have The Beatles sold?
Even if The Beatles aren’t Paul McCartney’s biggest income source, the hugely influential 1960s and ‘70s band provided a good chunk of money for the musician. In total, the band released 13 studio albums. But since they split, the Beatles estate has churned out anthologies, compilations and even a new single, ‘Now and Then’, finished from an old John Lennon demo.
The Beatles have sold an estimated 700million albums worldwide. Their single sales are also astronomical. In 2014, it was calculated that the band had sold an estimated 1.6billion singles in the US alone, with estimated world sales at over two billion.
Now, in a digital streaming age, it’s estimated that Spotify pays out over $973,000 to The Beatles team yearly.
How much are Paul McCartney’s songs worth?
Paul McCartney is one of the most successful musicians in history. It’s estimated that he earns $70million every year through royalties alone across his solo, Beatles and Wings discographies, merchandise, song rights, and more.
The majority of The Beatles music was written in collaboration between McCartney and John Lennon, meaning writing royalties will be split between their estates. However, in 2017, McCartney filed a lawsuit against Sony to buy the rights to the full Beatles catalogue, allowing him to earn more through further royalties control.
