Are Pro Drummer's rich?

I was just wondering if anybody knows if legendary drummers like Gadd, Weckl, Omar, Dennis, Vinnie, Steve Smith etc are "loaded".
After reading a post from months ago, about drum lessons with Weckl that came to ?95 for an hour, I thought that he must be raking it in, add tours and dvds, books, cds etc, he must have a bit of cash!
You probably think that this is a weird post, but I'm intrigued.

Off topic, I have a new Chick Corea Elektric Band DVD from Ebay.
Ages ago, I got a Lugano Estival audio bootleg of the Elektric Band which was off their Summer 2003 tour and loved it. So when I saw this on ebay, I couldn't resist to see a video of the performance. That plus the North Sea Jazz Festival performance makes it a DVD worth owning. If you see it on ebay again, get it!!!

Highly recommended.

I would say yes. Maybe not billionare corporation rich, but wealthy enough to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Vinnie has money...

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Originally posted by Drumdawg:
Vinnie has money...

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Define "money". Everyone has money, but Vinnie and pretty much ALL the drummers that everyone on here idolizes aren't wealthy enough to stop worrying about their next gig. These guys have made it to the point of getting a nice modest home and setting up their retirement, but they're not styling in some huge house on a mountaintop overlooking the ocean and driving around in Ferraris.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 30, 2005 05:05 PM: Message edited by: drumming sort of person ]</font>

It's not what you make, but what you take home! Pay yourself first!!

Steve Smith made a boatload of cash w/Journey. A buddy of mine who grew up w/Steve has shared many times his wealth. He invested wisely and it grew. So, good for Mr. Smith! What he has TODAY I don't know.

Every musician needs to take a serious course on MONEY because few if any of us are ever going to get a gig with the Stones.

Check out; daveramsey.com or bobbrinker.com for good money info.

Their are alot of pop drummers really making the money. I'm pretty sure on average the top ones rake in around 20,000+ for stadium/arena tours per show. They shouldbecause the show can bring in sometimes almost a million dollars in ticket sales.... I know a great bass player that makes around a million a year just doing gigs all around. It's that top 40 stuff is where the money is at [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

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These guys have made it to the point of getting a nice modest home and setting up their retirement, but they're not styling in some huge house on a mountaintop overlooking the ocean and driving around in Ferraris

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Right there, dsop.

They are doing well enough, but no where NEAR some of these pop & rap "stars" [meh...blecchhh] - but they galdurn should be [in this so-called intellectually-enlightened age...meh, again].

That statement was right on the $ about being comf but yet still having to maintain the gigging, both studio & touring.

Ah, better yet, to formally answer your ?:
Q: Are Pro Drummer's rich?...
A: Very few. ;c)

And most of those who are, are in partnership-groups or had writing credits & not sidemen, altho a few sidemen have been known to get in the 6 figures & poss even a million - the ones who play/record w the big name acts, such as Britny, Madonna, Cher, M & J Jackson...prob more $ in the big-sellg albums artists' sessions...but even they prob don't make as much as they prob should, altho I'm sure they do well. Johnathen Moffett made some good bank back in the day.

I'm sure Buddy did well for himself back in the day, because he was the leader of his own hi-prof & popular/famous band. He deserved it - he [AWA his band] was a BB bad-arse.

Take heed...Pocket said it well, overall. Not everyone is going to be in that elite session / multi-plat sellg artist upper-echelon. Vinnie deserves the bank he makes because overall he is a MF'n monstuh. Weck, too. Altho, does Dave still do many sessions AOT the Chick gigs or his own group [DWB] - as many as Vinnie's doing, nowadays? I know he used to take an occasional esteemed live tour for like, say, Si & Garf & the like...he prob does more sessions on the side...

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 20, 2005 03:35 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

Definitely YES...

hey Drumming person,

I think you're wrong and right. Vinnie is a multi millionaire. Drummers in that age group who have done that many sessions and tours are rich. They have financial advisors and put their money into businesses and other investments where it grows. Other younger drummers like Kieth Carlock and Steve Hass probably make around 6 figures by the end of the year. Not a lot for living in NYC. But enough to live well. If you know the ballpark of what people get paid and how long they've been doing it, it's just a matter of math. Vinnie's average rate in the studio is 5g's per track.

Well, I hate to offer conflicting advice, but that's just not true.

Vinnie, yes, he's probably done very well, but multi-millionaire??? He deserves to be, but I don't know if he is... Gadd, much the same, although I'm sure he's verycomfortable. There are a handful guys who can charge what they want and usually get it, but they are few and far between...

I know Weckl isn't 'rich'. He went through a divorce which really hurt him financially. Every time I see him, he talks about how 'this latest tour' was perioulsly close to making a loss after paying his band, hence his move back towards occassional session work.

Not to get into finite detail (out of sheer respect for these guys), but I think you'd be surprised how 'rich' any of these chaps actually are...

There was another thread on this late last year...

MP