Metallica is one of the most popular American heavy metal bands in history, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded back in 1981. There have been changes in the bass players, but its core lineup is James Hetfield as the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Lars Ulrich as the drummer, and Kirk Hammett as the lead guitarist; its bass position was filled in 2003 by Robert Trujillo.
To date, they have released 11 studio albums, 8 live albums, 44 singles, and 50 music videos. Metallica is also one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 125 million albums worldwide.
However, beyond the moshing and the head-banging energy lies a tale of enormous monetary success. Here’s a look at the riches that Metallica has amassed, from each member’s net worth to the band’s various royalties.
Is Metallica the Richest Heavy Metal Band Ever?
With a global reach and intergenerational legacy, Metallica is the richest heavy metal band of all time and one of the best-selling bands in history.
It’s no easy task to declare the richest heavy metal band of them all. But Metallica always seems to take the top spot. Their net worth is estimated to be as high as a billion dollars. There are so many revenue streams. Besides the million sales albums across the globe, touring is another goldmine. Metallica can sell out stadiums, and shows can rake in millions. Booking fees range from $3 million to $15 million a concert, depending on the venue, location, and production costs.
The top 10 wealthiest heavy metal bands, next to Metallica, are:
| Band | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| Ozzy Osbourne | $225 Million |
| Iron Maiden | $100 Million |
| Judas Priest | $80 Million |
| Tool | $70 Million |
| Korn | $60 Million |
| Megadeth | $40 Million |
| Anthrax | $39 Million |
| Slayer | $35 Million |
| Slipknot | $30 Million |
Who Is the Richest Member of Metallica?
This astronomical sum illustrates the individual fortunes of each member: the drummer and co-founder Lars Ulrich has a fortune of $350 million, the singer/guitarist and also co-founder James Hetfield has a fortune between $300 and $350 million, the other guitarist Kirk Hammett has a fortune of $200 million, and the bassist Robert Trujillo rounds off the line-up with $30 million.
Lars is the biggest earner due to the fact that he has the biggest portfolio, with the most lucrative and diverse array of assets. The Danish-born drummer owns 56 hectares of undeveloped land in Marin County, which in 2015, according to Celebrity Net Worth, was on the market for $39 million.
Furthermore, Lars is very successful apart from real estate. He has made millions as a collector of art. In 2002 and 2008, he sold two Jean Michel Basquiat paintings at auction from his collection, earning $5.5 million and $13.5 million respectively, according to the same source.
Who Owns Metallica’s Rights?
Metallica’s move in 2012 to buy out their master recordings and launch their own label, Blackened Recordings, was a landmark moment.
Their nearly two-decade relationship with the Warner Music Group that started in 1994 had ended in November 2012. For the past 12 years, they had owned all their recordings (music videos and long-form videos) and had complete creative control over their music.
“It’s always been about control for us as a band. Forming Blackened Recordings is the ultimate in independence, giving us 100% control and putting us in the driver’s seat of our own creative destiny“, said Lars Ulrich.
Blackened Recordings has been the corporate home of all things Metallica for more than a decade. Five years into this strategic move, Lars Ulrich was quoted in 2017 by 92Y as saying: “The whole business model changed’ after getting rights to all of the band’s master recordings because now we have to sort of run all of this ourselves.“
Metallica’s entire business model had shifted; the band now felt the need to take control of their affairs.
How Much Does Metallica Make Each Concert?
Pollstar revealed just how strong the box office is in 2022, and just how influential box office performance has been over the course of the Pollstar Era.
“Top Touring Artists Of The Pollstar Era: Boxoffice Grosses”: #9 Metallica ($1,219,599,179).
“Top Touring Artists Of The Pollstar Era: Tickets Sold”: #6 Metallica, with 19,468,173 tickets sold for a gross total of $1,219,599,179
The ‘WorldWired’ arena tour, a 21-show run in North America in 2019, just before the global coronavirus pandemic began, saw a total gross of $41.7 million, with an average gross per-show of $1.99 million and an average attendance of more than 16,000 people per show, meaning Metallica collectively sold nearly 350,000 tickets.
In 2022, it was calculated that the band had made $1,219,599,179 from touring in their career so far, which puts them in first place as the highest-grossing metal band of all time.
Metallica is currently on its heavy M72 World Tour promoting its latest album, 72 Seasons, which was released in April 2023. The band has shows scheduled into the end of the year, and its coffers will be overflowing. See the tour dates, tickets and support bands here.
Interesting Facts About Metallica
The Band’s Name Was Almost Metal Mania
Lars Ulrich – who came up with ‘Metal Mania’ and ‘Metallica’ – asked his friend Ron Quintana (who went on to run his own fanzine called Metal Mania) which of those two names he liked better and Quintana said: ‘Metallica’.
Metallica Was the First Band to Perform on All Seven Continents
Metallica played the first ever concert on all seven continents, performing in Antarctica in 2003; the band played at McMurdo Station, a research station about 2,000 miles from the South Pole.
Metallica Has Its Brand of Whiskey
Blackened, Metallica’s collaborative blend of American rye and bourbon whiskeys, aged eight years, came on the market in 2018. It’s available online, as well as at many retailers.
The Band Has Been Nominated for Twenty-Five Grammy Awards and Has Won Nine
They have been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards overall, and have won nine of them. They won their first Grammy, for Best Metal Performance for “One,” in 1989. They won their most recent Grammy, for Best Metal Performance with “72 Seasons” in 2024.
