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 By 1980, Osbourne had been replaced by Ronnie James Dio, the former singer of the English rock band Rainbow.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

Bob Dylan is an American professional author, singer-songwriter, and visual artist with an estimated net worth of $500 Million.

Quick Facts

• Sold over 125 million records worldwide
• Universal Music acquired the publishing rights to his catalog for $300 million in 2020
• Sony Music acquired the master recordings to his catalog for between $150 million and $200 million.

Universal Music Catalog Sale

In December 2020, Bob Dylan sold the publishing rights for over 600 songs to Universal Music Publishing Group for approximately $300 million. However, several reports suggest that the actual figure could have been as high as $400 million. This acquisition specifically related to the publishing rights and not the master recordings, allowing Universal to collect income from licensing, performing, and media usage.

Sony Music Catalog Sale

Following the 2020 sale of his publishing rights to Universal Music Group for $300 million, Dylan decided to cash in again in 2021 by selling the master recordings of his entire catalog to Sony Music Entertainment, with the official announcement in 2022.

Although official figures have yet to be released, based on annual revenues of approximately $16 million and the previous sale of his publishing rights to Universal, the deal is believed to be between $150 million and $200 million. The agreement covers all 600 of Dylan’s recordings, from his 1962 self-titled debut album to the present, and includes the rights to multiple future releases and reissues.

It’s another monumental deal in catalog sales, following the sale of Bruce Springsteen’s publishing and recorded music for $550 million and Paul Simon’s publishing catalog sale for $250 million.

Selling his intellectual property over the past few years is no accident. Now in his 80s, Dylan will likely be planning his estate and affairs to minimize legal issues and tax problems for his family, ensuring they are properly taken care of.

Jacques Levy Estate Lawsuit

The deceased songwriter Jacques Levy collaborated with Bob Dylan on numerous singles throughout his career, including songs such as “Isis” and “Hurricane”. Most of these were included on the album Desire, which was contained within the $300 million Universal Music catalog sale that occurred in 2020. Levy had reportedly signed a contract that gave Dylan ownership of these works; however, it also contained a stipulation that Levy would receive a 35% royalty payment on all performance and use earnings from each of the tracks he worked on.

In January 2021, Claudia C. Levy and Jackelope Publishing, the executors of Jacques’ estate, filed a $7.25 million lawsuit against Bob Dylan and Universal Music Group. The estate sought the 35% royalties from the ten songs Levy worked on, as per his original contract with Dylan. They calculated this figure by taking the $300 million price tag that Universal paid for the 600-song catalog, and working it out at an average value of $500,000 per song, totaling $5 million for Levy’s ten songs.

That figure was then multiplied by 35%, equating to $1.75 million. There were counts listed in the suit, and they demanded $1.75 million for each count. Lastly, they demanded $2 million in punitive damages. However, as per Levy’s contract with Dylan, his 35% share is from royalties, not from ownership. Which means if the catalog is sold to another company, Levy is not entitled to a share of the sale price.

The lawsuit was dismissed in July 2021, and despite an appeal filed several months later, it was denied; thus, this lawsuit did not affect Dylan’s net worth. 

Highlights 

Here are some of the best highlights of Bob Dylan’s career: 

• Blowin’ in the Wind (Song, 1963) 
• Like A Rolling Stone (Song, 1965) 
• Idiot Wind (Song, 1975) 
• Desire (Album, 1976) 
• Not Dark Yet (Song, 1997)