Introduction

Travis Barker is an American professional musician, songwriter, and record producer with an estimated net worth of $50 Million.

Quick Facts

• Confirmed net worth of $37 million in a 2015 court filing
• Previously paid $18,000 per month in child support
• Annual income of $2 million in 2008, dropping to $600,000 by 2015
• Filed a court petition to have his monthly child support reduced to $2,900
• Rents out his Calabasas mansion for $23,000 per month

Collaborations

Apart from Blink-182, Travis Barker has also collaborated prolifically with other music projects. Among them are such popular bands as The Aquabats, The Transplants, +44, TRV$DJAM, and Box Car Racer. 

In 2011, Travis released his debut solo album, Give the Drummer Some, featuring appearances from notable artists such as Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Swizz Beatz. It’s fair to say he’s earned quite a bit from his collaborative efforts. Recently, Travis has been working hard on a duo with superstar Machine Gun Kelly and playing drums for TikTok young stars Jxden and Lil Huddy.

Business Ventures

In addition to his musical interests, Travis owns several businesses. In 1999, he established a clothing line called Famous Stars, which sells jackets, t-shirts, hats, and other street and skate-style accessories.

Moreover, together with well-known skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, Travis is part of the Rogue Status clothing label, and since 2009, another label, DTA, has been added. The drummer also co-founded LaSalle Records, a record company. In 2014, he entered the restaurant business. Travis opened Wahoo’s Fish Taco, a Mexican restaurant with Brazilian and Asian influences, in Norco, California.

Additionally, Barker designed a shoe for DC Shoe Company, called “Alias Remix.” He also owns a line of drumming products, including sticks bearing his signature, which Zildjian sponsors.

Child Support Dispute

Travis Barker was previously married to Shanna Moakler; however, the couple filed for divorce just two years later, and the proceedings were finalized in 2008. Under the initial divorce agreement, Barker was reportedly paying $18,000 per month in child support for their two children, Landon and Alabama. 

In 2016, Travis filed a petition to have his monthly child support payments drastically reduced, claiming his 2015 income was only $600,000. While that’s by no means a small amount of money, it’s a big step down from the $2 million per year that he was earning during Blink-182’s peak in the 1990s and early 2000s. Barker sought to have his monthly obligations reduced from $18,000 to $2,900. His petition also listed his net worth at roughly $37 million. 

Travis also made several claims regarding the environment in which his children were being raised. He alleged that Moakler was misusing the child support payments and brought up the possibility of Moakler keeping guns and or drugs within the home. Unfortunately, updates regarding the case were never made public.

Real Estate

In May 2017, Travis Barker paid $2.825 million for a 7,196-square-foot, six-bedroom, six-bathroom home in Calabasas, California. Since February 2019, Barker has been renting out the property to individuals for up to $27,500 per month. It appears he rented it out for an entire year in 2019 at the above rate, totaling $330,000. The most recent price it was listed at was $23,000 per month in 2023. According to recent estimates, the property is valued at approximately $5.6 million and has annual property taxes of around $40,000.

In October 2022, Travis and Kourtney Kardashian paid $14.5 million to acquire Conan O’Brien‘s 2,100-square-foot beach house in Carpinteria, California. Conan paid $7.9 million for the property in 2015 and spent a substantial sum on renovations. He first listed it for sale in July 2022, with an asking price of $16.5 million.

Introduction

Mick Mars is an American professional musician with an estimated net worth of $70 Million.

Mars is the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Mötley Crüe, known for his aggressive, melodic solos and bluesy riffs. He dropped out of high school in the early 1970s and began playing the guitar in a series of unsuccessful blues and rock bands.

Quick Facts

• The Mötley Crüe have grossed a combined $367.3 million from touring
• Sold their master recordings music catalog for $150 million (2021)
• Mars filed a lawsuit against the band members over contract disputes (2023)
• Awarded $131,665 in legal fees, but the primary case is still ongoing.

Music Catalog Sale

In December 2021, the Mötley Crüe sold their entire music catalog to BMG for a reported figure of $150 million. The sale included the master recordings for their music portfolio, comprising nine studio albums such as Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, Dr. Feelgood, and Saints of Los Angeles.

This is a stark difference from the $10 million figure that Elektra Records offered them in the ’90s, after the band parted ways with the company. Band member Nikki Sixx has previously commented on the situation in past interviews:

“Elektra wanted to buy our masters for $10 million, but we said no. Everyone thought we were crazy. Today those masters have made us far more than that.”

The $150 million was split four ways, but the band’s manager, Allen Kovac, likely took a small cut off the top. Assuming a typical 10% commission, Kovac potentially profited $15 million, with the remaining $135 million being split equally between the four band members. Thus, Mars potentially received a total payout of between $33 million and $35 million. 

Tour History & Revenue

According to data from Pollstar, the Mötley Crüe grossed a combined $367.3 million on tour up until the end of The Stadium Tour in 2022, which was conveniently Mick’s last tour with the band. While it’s challenging to obtain exact data from their smaller tours, we do have information regarding Mick’s two final tours with the group. 

Between 2014 and 2015, they embarked on The Final Tour, which reportedly sold over 1.35 million tickets across 158 shows. The gross revenue amounted to approximately $86.1 million, averaging $545,000 per show.

The Stadium Tour was the band’s best performing tour in history, spanning just three months between the 16th June and 19th September in 2022. Its success was primarily due to being a combined tour with Def Leppard, with additional appearances from Poison. They performed at 36 shows accross Canada and the United States, grossing approximately $173.5 million. This meant that the average revenue per show was an incredible $4.82 million.

With regards to how much profit the band earned from these tours, that’s an entirely different equation. Net profits can vary wildly from tour to tour. Industry experts often estimate a band’s net earnings at roughly 25% of the total gross revenue. This is the figure after all costs and commissions have been accounted for. Just for arguments sake, if we plug in 25% of $367.3 million, we reach a potential profit of $91.8 million. Since Mick Mars owns a 25% share of the band, this could place his net earnings from touring at roughly $22 million. This figure is a very rough estimate, and unlikely to be 100% accurate.

Mötley Crüe Lawsuit

Since 2023, Mars has been embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with his former Mötley Crüe bandmates. The issue revolved around his health problems, as Mars has struggled with a spinal condition since the age of 27. Despite being in pain, he continued playing with the band until 2022, when he stopped touring, though he made it clear that he wanted to remain a co-owner of the band.

In April 2023, Mars filed a lawsuit against the remaining band members, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee, although he sought to maintain his share of the business rather than seeking damages. The four members have an equal 25% share of tour revenue, merchandise, media, and real estate investments. Mars’ lawyers say that in October 2022, he was offered an unfair deal which would cut his share of touring profits from 25% to just 5% and then to zero for future tours. He’d also lose the same share for sales of band merchandise using the Mötley Crüe name or logo, though the deal would still let the band use Mars’ name and image. His lawyers said that the band warned Mars that if he didn’t sign the agreement, he would lose his position as an officer and director of the band’s companies.

To make matters worse, he would also have to sell his shares back at book value, a price that ignores the band’s fame and would leave him with only a fraction of what his stake is worth. Mars’ attorneys argued that original contracts, shareholder rights, and his four decades with the band should be enough to protect his stake. In response, Mötley Crüe’s lawyers said that stopping touring was the same as retiring from the band, and he should therefore not be entitled to any further compensation.

Latest Updates

At the start of the dispute, Mars and his lawyers asked the band for routine financial documents, but the band didn’t provide them. As a result, Mars was compelled to file a second lawsuit to obtain access to the records, which he won in early 2024. A judge ordered Mötley Crüe to pay $131,665 in legal fees, as they had failed to provide the documents. However, the larger dispute remains undecided, and the final decision could have significant consequences for both sides.

Real Estate

In 2007, Mick Mars reportedly pursed a 3,603-square-foot home in Malibu, California, for $1.46 million. Additional reports suggest he sold the property for just $1.35 million in 2013. However, we’ve been unable to confirm either of these figures with property transaction records. 

Introduction

John Deacon is an English retired professional musician with an estimated net worth of $170 Million. 

Before Wealth & Fame

John Deacon joined his first band, The Opposition, as a rhythm guitarist but switched to bass a year later. In addition to being a musician, Deacon also served as the band’s archivist, and he remained with them for four years. 

After that, he earned a First Class Honors degree in Electronics from Chelsea College and saw Queen perform live for the first time. He then became the last member to join when they lost their bassist in early 1971, and he played his first show at the College of Estate Management. 

Deacon didn’t know it then, but he was set to become one of the richest rock stars in the world as a member of Queen. 

Queen

John Deacon was credited on Queen’s first album in 1973 as Deacon John to make him seem more interesting. However, he requested his real name be used in the credits, which was done on all subsequently released albums. 

Deacon started writing for Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack, with the songs “Misfire” and “Stone Cold Crazy.” He also played some of the guitar sections when Brian May was hospitalized with hepatitis during the recording sessions. 

In 1975, his song “You’re My Best Friend,” written for his future wife, was included on Queen’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera. After that, he wrote the wildly popular “Another One Bites The Dust” in 1980, which quickly became one of the band’s best-selling singles. Deacon continued collaborating with Freddie Mercury throughout the 80s, helping the band move their sound towards disco. 

Final Years

John Deacon’s work with Mercury culminated in the band’s 1992 album Hot Space, where he played the opening of “Staying Power.” He also insisted on playing the guitar on “Back Chat,” a song that was his own composition, and May’s style didn’t suit it. However, this album proved to be commercially unsuccessful, and Queen returned to their former sound with their subsequent albums. 

By the mid-80s, Deacon had started working with other bands and artists, including Elton John, Bad Company, and The Pretenders. At this point, he considered his songwriting to be as important as his musical skills, stating he wouldn’t have been satisfied with only playing guitar. 

Unfortunately, in November 1991, Freddie Mercury passed away, and his death upset Deacon so much that his career saw a significant reduction. After playing with Queen three more times, including at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, John Deacon retired from music. 

Music Catalog Sale

In 2024, Sony Music Entertainment acquired Queen’s entire music catalog for a record-breaking $1.27 billion, one of the largest music deals in history. John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Brian May, and the estate of Freddie Mercury each reportedly received approximately $300 million from the sale before considering taxes and management fees. This represented, by far, the single biggest payday of Deacon’s career. The sale included all of Queen’s albums and singles, featuring timeless hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and Somebody to Love.

Queen Productions Ltd

All reports suggest that John Deacon still owns a percentage of Queen and regularly receives royalty payments from the band’s music. Queen Productions Ltd is a British company linked to the band, with all related payments being processed through the business. However, as of June 2024, Deacon, May, and Taylor are no longer company directors.

The company’s latest filing shows total profits of £17.6 million ($21.47 million) before taxes in 2024, a slight decrease from the £19.65 million ($23.96 million) figure in 2023. The total dividends distributed during the 2024 calendar year were £3.66 million ($4.46 million).

Between 2015 and 2024, a total of £123.21 million ($150.3 million) in dividends has been distributed to the company’s shareholders. Queen Productions Ltd’s ownership is split four ways between the three remaining band members and the estate of Freddie Mercury. This is structured as follows:

• John Deacon – Ordinary A Class Shares
• Brian May – Ordinary B Class Shares
• Roger Taylor – Ordinary C Class Shares
• Estate of Freddie Mercury – Ordinary D Class Shares

Each class of company shares is valued equally, effectively meaning that all four parties hold a 25% stake. Thus, John Deacon’s dividends over the past ten years amount to £30.8 million ($37.6 million).

These dividends were paid out with annual totals as follows:

• 2024 – £3.66 million ($4.46 million)
• 2023 – £19.65 million ($23.96 million)
• 2022 – £12.9 million ($15.7 million)
• 2021 – £17.07 million ($20.83 million)
• 2020 – £20.17 million ($24.61 million)
• 2019 – £19.43 million ($23.72 million)
• 2018 – £7.8 million ($9.52 million)
• 2017 – £5.85 million ($7.13 million)
• 2016 – £5.68 million ($6.93 million)
• 2015 – £11 million ($13.42 million)

Retirement

After retiring, John Deacon appeared briefly with his bandmates in 1997 to record Queen’s final song, “No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young).” However, he later spoke unfavorably about Robbie Williams and Brian May’s “We Are the Champions” cover, which was released on A Knight’s Tale.

Since then, he has remained out of the limelight and even chose not to attend Queen’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He also didn’t join the Queen + Paul Rodgers collaboration, though May has stated he is involved with the business side of the band. 

In 2014, following the Queen + Adam Lambert North American Tour, May admitted he had no contact with Deacon aside from talking about finances. May spoke to Rock FM Spain in 2022, stating that he didn’t think Deacon would ever perform again and that they still have minimal contact.