Introduction

Ozzy Osbourne was an English professional singer, songwriter, actor, and reality television star with an estimated net worth of $220 Million.

Music Career 

Ozzy Osbourne was recruited to be the vocalist for Rare Breed in 1967, but the band only played two shows before breaking up. He then reunited with guitarist Geezer Butler in the Polka Tulk Blues band, which became known as Black Sabbath in 1969. 

Under Warner Bros. Records, Black Sabbath quickly became a successful band, and their debut album, Paranoid, became a commercial success. Soon after, he met his future wife, Sharon Osbourne, when the band considered making her father their new manager. Five months later, they released Master of Reality, which was certified Gold in less than two months and went Platinum soon after. 

Black Sabbath

In September 1972, Black Sabbath released Black Sabbath Vol. 4, which was certified gold in less than a month and sold over a million copies. The following year, they released Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and for the first time, they received positive mainstream attention. 

Their 1975 album, Sabotage, peaked at No. 28 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold. Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1978 and launched his first solo project, Blizzard of Ozz, along with three members of Necromandus. However, soon after, at his bandmates’ request, he rejoined Black Sabbath, and they began touring with Van Halen. 

Unfortunately, conflict began to erupt between members, particularly between Tony Iommi and Osbourne. By 1980, Osbourne had been replaced by Ronnie James Dio, the former singer of the English rock band Rainbow. 

Solo Career

After leaving Black Sabbath for good, Ozzy Osbourne was signed to Jet Records and formed Blizzard of Ozz. Ozzy’s Blizzard of Ozz album was released in 1980 and was one of the 100 best-selling albums of the decade. A year later, his second album, Diary of a Madman, was released. It featured the singles “Over the Mountain” and “Flying High Again.” 

In 1983, Ozzy released Bark at the Moon, which featured the hit single of the same name and went Platinum three times over. He maintained his momentum into the 90s with No More Tears and the single “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” which became a hit on MTV. 

For his song “I Don’t Want to Change the World,” Ozzy won a Grammy Award in 1993. In ‘95, he remastered his entire music catalog. His greatest hits album, The Ozzman Cometh, was released in 1997, the same year he reunited with Black Sabbath at Ozzfest. 

Final Work

In 2020, Ozzy Osbourne released his first solo album in 10 years, Ordinary Man, which debuted at No. 3 on the UK Albums chart. At the same time, he joined Justin Timberlake as the voice of King Thrash in the animated film Trolls World Tour. 

In 2022, he released his 13th album, Patient Number 9, which topped the US Top Rock Albums chart. Ozzy then canceled his European tour, which had been postponed for two years, due to suffering spinal damage. He officially retired from touring but continued performing at smaller events as often as his health permited him to.

In July 2025, Ozzy Osbourne passed away at the age of 76. His death occurred just a few weeks after he performed at his retirement concert with Black Sabbath in Birmingham, England. The details surrounding his death have not yet been made known to the public.

Ozzfest

Ozzfest, one of the most popular heavy metal festivals of all time, was launched by Osbourne and his wife in October 1996 and has since grossed over $147.5 million. Managed by Sharon Osbourne and the couple’s son, Jack, Ozzfest became a renowned venue for some of the world’s most iconic metal bands, including Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slipknot, and System of a Down. It also gave emerging bands a chance to showcase their talent.

Officially running from 1996 to 2008 and returning sporadically thereafter in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2016, the festival has sold over 3.8 million tickets from 247 shows. The last major Ozzfest was held in 2018, with Osbourne as the headline act, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021.

The festival was such a hit that MTV created the reality TV show Battle for Ozzfest in 2004, in which up-and-coming bands competed for a chance to perform. Ozzfest also boosted Osbourne’s total merchandise sales to over $50 million, making him the first heavy metal artist to surpass this monumental milestone.

Although Ozzfest is no longer actively running, Sharon Osbourne has recently expressed interest in reviving it, provided artists have realistic expectations about what they’ll be paid and are willing to fulfill their obligations. Whether the festival returns or not, Ozzfests’ legacy will forever inspire rock and metal fans and artists across the globe and will always be remembered as a groundbreaking festival that brought metal to the masses.

Introduction

Neil Young is a Canadian-American musician and activist with an estimated net worth of $200 Million. 

Music Catalog Sale

In January 2021, Young sold 50% of his worldwide publishing rights and income interests of his entire music catalog to the UK-based investment fund Hipgnosis Songs. Reports suggest the sale was approximately $150 million, although exact figures were not disclosed.

The deal included rights to 1,180 songs, covering Young’s extensive work from his time with various bands and his solo career. Known for iconic hits such as “Heart of Gold,” “Helpless,” and “Old Man,” Young’s catalog remains highly influential today and, therefore, a favorable investment.

Merck Mercuriadis, the founder of Hipgnosis Songs, stated that the acquisition was part of the company’s strategy to secure long-term earnings by investing in music assets with lasting popularity.

Streaming Royalties

In 2022, Neil Young took issue with The Joe Rogan Experience being on Spotify, alleging that the podcast spread misinformation. He contacted Spotify, demanding that they remove the podcast from their platform; otherwise, he would remove his entire music catalog from Spotify. The company didn’t give in to his request, and as such, his catalog was deleted from the platform. This was rather unfortunate for Hipgnosis Songs, which had just acquired a 50% stake in his royalties a year earlier. 

Warner Bros, which holds the masters for Young’s catalog, backed him on his decision, and it doesn’t appear that Hipgnosis has filed any lawsuits in response. 

In 2024, Young returned to the platform, and Page Six reported that he was estimated to earn $170,000 per month, or $2.04 million per year, from Spotify royalties. However, they didn’t mention whether this figure was related to his 50% stake or just the total. In any case, we can assume that the two-year removal resulted in lost royalties of roughly $4 million.

Geffen Records Lawsuit

In 1983, Geffen Records filed a $3.3 million lawsuit against Neil Young, which, adjusted for inflation, would equate to $10.7 million today. The reason for the lawsuit was related to the two albums Young released following his 1982 signing with the record label: Trans, an electronic album, and Everybody’s Rockin’, which differed from the country music genre that Young wished to pursue. Geffen Records took issue with the albums, claiming that they were “not commercial” and “uncharacteristic of previous recordings.”

Naturally, the label had signed Neil based on his previous music releases and was expecting similar music from him in the future. However, Young’s contract with Geffen reportedly guaranteed him artistic freedom, which led to him filing a $21 million counterclaim for breach of contract. The dispute was settled outside of court. David Geffen issued an apology to Young, and Neil honored the remainder of the agreement. 

Real Estate

In 1970, Young paid $350,000 for a 1,000-acre property in Redwood City, California. He calls the cabin-style residence, situated at the end of Bear Gulch Road, the Broken Arrow Ranch.

Lionel LLC

Young was a part-owner of Lionel LLC, a company specializing in model trains and related accessories. He lost his shares in the company through bankruptcy. He has also helped create Pono, an online music download streaming service. 

Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights of Neil Young’s career:

• Southern Man (Song, 1990) 
• Old Man (Song, 1972) 
• Harvest (Album, 1972) 
• Revolution Blues (Song, 1974)
• Rockin’ in the Free World (Song, 1989) 
• Harvest Moon (Song, 1992) 

Introduction

Phil Collins is an English professional musician, singer, record producer, and actor with an estimated net worth of $350 Million. 

Quick Facts

• Genesis sold over 100 million records worldwide
• Sold their catalog to Conrad Music Group for $300 million in 2022
• Lost at least $80 million of his fortune in divorce settlements
• This includes his $45 million settlement to Orianne Cevey

Before Wealth & Fame

Although Phil Collins is best known as a musician, some may not be aware that he was also an actor and model during his childhood. He initially appeared as an extra in The Beatles’ music video for “A Hard Day’s Night” and played a minor role in Calamity the Cow (1969). In addition, because Collins’ mother was a theatre agent, she secured several modeling gigs and TV commercials for him.

Collin began playing the drums at the age of five and was predominantly self-taught by listening to other records and playing along. He first performed in London stage productions such as Oliver, which helped him boost his confidence and improve his skills.

Music Career

In 1970, Phil Collins saw an advertisement in the Melody Maker newspaper for the band Genesis, which was seeking a new drummer. Their original drummer, John Mayhew, had left the band, so Collins responded to the ad and auditioned at the house of Peter Gabriel’s parents in Surrey, England.

Collins landed the gig and became the band’s drummer from 1970 to 1975. During this time, Genesis released four studio albums: Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972), Selling England by the Pound (1973), and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974). The first two albums were relatively successful in the United Kingdom, with Foxtrot being their first album to reach gold certification. However, the latter two began seeing additional success from the North American markets. Both of them sold over 500,000 copies in the United States.

Despite this initial success, the best was yet to come. When Peter Gabriel left the band in 1975, Phil Collins assumed the role of lead singer. Several years later, Genesis’ albums began to reach platinum certification in multiple countries. Their 1978 album, …And Then There Were Three, was the first to sell over a million copies in the United States. When they released Duke in 1980, it reached platinum certification in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

From the mid-80s to the early 1990s, Genesis released three albums: Genesis (1983), Invisible Touch (1986), and We Can’t Dance (1991). All three albums sold over 4 million copies in the US and gained additional certifications from new global audiences, including the Netherlands and New Zealand. They were the most successful albums of the band’s career. Genesis released a total of 15 studio albums and sold over 100 million records worldwide.

Genesis Catalog Sale

In September 2022, Collins and two of his Genesis bandmates, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, announced the sale of all their publishing and recording rights to Conrad Music Group. According to the group’s president, Bob Valentine, the deal stemmed from the relationship established during the 2017 acquisition of Imagem Music Group.

Sources obtained by The Wall Street Journal indicate that the deal is valued at $300 million, making it one of the largest music deals in history. Official figures have not been released. However, based on the previous catalog sales of other artists, such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, $300 million is likely a realistic figure.

The deal encompasses all three members’ solo material, Genesis’ iconic recordings, and some of Rutherford’s works with Mike & The Mechanics. However, it does not include any of Peter Gabriel’s and former member Steve Hackett’s creations.

As Collins, Rutherford, and Banks are all in their 70s, they’ve likely decided to cash in on their intellectual property early to provide financial support for estate planning and to avoid complicated legal matters regarding inheritance and tax planning.

Divorce Settlements

Andrea Bertorelli Settlement

Phil Collins married Andrea Bertorelli in 1975, and the couple divorced in 1980. They had two children together, one of whom was adopted. The settlement figure was never publicly disclosed, although reports suggest it could have been between $10 million and $15 million.

Jill Tavelman Settlement

Collins then married Jill Tavelman in 1984, and the couple stayed married for twelve years. When they divorced in 1996, Tavelman reportedly received a $25 million settlement.

Orianne Cevey Settlement

Phil Collins was married to Orianne Cevey for eight years, from 1999 to 2007, and the couple had two children together. However, in 2008, Cevey initiated divorce proceedings in the Swiss court, where they both resided at the time. The divorce was finalized that year, with Orianne receiving a $45 million settlement.

Almost a decade later, the couple reconciled, and Orianne began living in Collins’ Miami mansion, which was worth an estimated $40 million at the time. In 2020, they once again split up, and Cevey tried to claim a 50% ownership interest in the home ($20 million). Her claim was later dismissed.