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Who are some of the richest musicians who aren't famous and how did they make their money?
Hello! Thanks for your question about the richest musicians who aren't famous. The most useful sources I found to answer your question are celebritynetworth.com and rollingstone.com. The short version is that there are quite a few musicians who have very successful careers without being well known in popular culture. Two of the richest on this list are Herb Alpert and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Below you will find a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
I looked through industry reports and trusted media sites to compile a list of ten of the richest musicians who don't have global fame. Many of the wealthier artists (with the longest careers) are popular in niche markets or in certain countries. It seems that many of the younger and newer artists on this list have found revenue streams from tours, ad revenues (via YouTube), and merchandise sales.
FINDINGS
Below are ten of the richest musicians who are not globally famous. This research indicates that there are quite a few artists who have been able to gain a significant following and build sizable fortunes by connecting with fans via the Internet, using sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more.
1) Herb Alpert is an American musician who is worth approximately $850 million. He is a recording industry executive, but he has also sold 72 million records worldwide.
2) Rock band Grizzly Bear is worth an estimated $135 million. The group has released four albums and has toured on and off since its founding in 2002. The members reunited in 2014 and produced their most recent album, titled Shields.
3) Daniel O'Donnell is an Irish singer and television personality with an estimated net worth of $20 million. While O'Donnell has reached some level of fame in the UK and in Ireland, he is not globally famous. He has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
4) Enya is another Irish singer and songwriter. Her net worth is estimated at $140 million, and she has made her fortune through album sales, television appearances, and writing music for soundtracks for movies and TV. While she is no longer famous in today's popular culture, Enya experienced global fame in the late 1990's and early 2000's. She has four Grammys.
5) James Bay is an English singer and songwriter who is worth an estimated $8 million. Bay got his start after a fan uploaded a video of him to YouTube. He was nominated for 3 Grammy awards in 2016 and won Best British Male Solo Artist in 2016.
6) Tori Kelly is an American singer and songwriter worth around $3 million. She gained a following by posting videos on YouTube. She currently has more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube and her videos have more than 90 million views.
7) Shawn Mendez is another singer who gained a following through social media, this time through the now-defunct Vine. Mendez released an album in 2015 and has toured 3 times since then. He also makes money through sponsorships and merchandise sales via his website and is currently worth an estimated $3 million.
8) Pentatonix is an a cappella group from Arlington, Texas with an estimated net worth of $6 million. The group has sold 6 million albums in the United States and has nearly 13 million YouTube subscribers.
9) Tokio Hotel is a German rock band whose members collectively have a net worth of nearly $100 million. While they are not well known in the United States, the band has a large following in Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
10) Andrew Lloyd Webber made his fortune (nearly $1.2 billion) as a composer of musical theater. He has composed 13 musicals and owns one of the largest theater operators in London.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, there are several musicians who have made a large (or relatively large) fortune without experiencing worldwide fame. Some of these musicians appear to be gaining fame in the United States, while others are famous in other countries but remain relatively unknown in the United States. Still others are famous in niche markets and unknown outside of their specific circles. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!