The Boss is now a billionaire.
Forbes estimates Bruce Springsteen is worth $1.1 billion, which the outlet calls a “conservative” estimate.
Springsteen, 74, has been in the music business for the better part of six decades, but he solidified the bulk of his wealth in the past few years. He sold his music catalog to Sony in 2021 for an estimated $500 to $550 million, making it the costliest catalog sale for a single artist in history.
Two years later, Pollstar reported Springsteen’s world tour generated nearly $380 milliion in ticket revenue with more than 3.4 million tickets sold.
Reviewing one of the shows from that tour, Variety’s Chris Willman wrote, “Its 200-minute running time was 40 minutes longer than most other sets of his lately, all of which already test and transcend what a guy in his early 70s who recently recovered from illness ought to be pulling off.”
Throughout his career, Springsteen has sold 140 million albums globally and has created 21 studio albums, seven live albums and five EPs. His accolades include 20 Grammy Awards and placement in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also accepted the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009 and Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
He’s come a long way since watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show as a child. That inspired him to buy his first guitar and eventually perform in front of a live audience.
“This was different, shifted the lay of the land,” Springsteen said of The Beatles in a 2014 interview. “Four guys, playing and singing, writing their own material … Rock ‘n’ roll came to my house where there seemed to be no way out … and opened up a whole world of possibilities.”
He released his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, featuring what eventually became The E Street Band, in 1973. Springsteen’s breakout came in 1975 with his album Born to Run. His single by the same name became arguably his biggest hit, alongside others like “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born in the USA” and “I’m on Fire.”
In addition to his extensive catalog and prolific tour schedule, Springsteen held a pair of residencies on Broadway, running for 267 shows and raking in $113,058,952 at the box office.
Well into his 70s, Springsteen remains hard at work. He announced in September that he needed to cancel the remaining 2023 shows on his tour as he received treatment for peptic ulcer disease. He’s since returned to the stage and is touring Europe. The billionaire’s next show is in Norway on July 21.