you earn millions, if you have only one "goo" or whatever out, and sy have 16 of em, plus live shows, commercials (starbucks) and other shit, so they're definetely millionairs, and thats enough to know i guess.

i bet a significant portion of it goes right back into band stuff. or their ten bazillion other projects.

They ain't no millionaires but they've spent more money than one ever did see.

I reallly doubt that's true. Their top selling records, at best, sold about 300,000 copies. Recent records have sold less than 100,000. Even at 300,000 copies, at an average of $12 per copy, that's $3.6 million dollars gross. From that amount, you have to subtract the portion that the record stores keep. From the remainder, you have to subtract the record company costs, which include production, marketing, distribution, covering all the bands that don't sell and then the record company's profit. That leaves whatever is left for the band itself. The band has to pay its management, agents, whatever. What's left after that gets split four ways.

The real money is in the touring, but it's not like SY is playing in arenas.

In any case, I'm sure the band earns a nice living, but millions per record seems very unlikely.

Well, dirty went gold...

But yah most of em probably sold 250,000-300,000 until recently.

are you guys sure? i dont know anybody who hasnt at least one record of sy. and daydream nation only 300 000 copies within 20 years?

but if you where right, they would be millionairs too. I dont know what they get per record, i heard the mtv-jerks get 1-2 dollars, so sonic youth might get 3-4. so, there are a few millions with the cds. thats not much over the years, but then you have to add this huge amount of shows almost every year. and live music is the main business in music industry. famous bands like u2 earn 300 million each year only with concerts. so, lets say sy get a few million. all together, the are millionairs.

I'd say Sonic Youth have made more than one million dollars... but that doesn't make them millionaires. I don't think they'd be in possession of more than one million dollars at any one time, but they could've made that much over their entire career.

Dirty's gone gold?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I've read that numerous times, dunno how reliable the sources are though. Dirty was a pretty big record... Entertainment Weekly called it their best album of 1992 back in the day!

I very recently read that none of their records have gone gold. I'm pretty sure Dirty was their top seller at 300,000+.

shrug.

I'm sure someone who's more well-informed will fill us in shortly........................................... ......

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sonic youth have never gone gold (500,000 copies sold USA)

their best selling album is EJST&NS because of bull in the heather. (last I read)
and that sold just over 300 thousand copies.

sonic youth took most of their signing money from Geffen and built their studio with it.

for comparison though, Ben Weasel, of screeching weasel and Maximum rock n roll fame, still earns around 30-40thou a year in royalties from shirts, record sales, and other screeching weasel merch.

Really? Jeez, I didn't think Screeching Weasel was much of a money maker haha.

30 thou a year is not a LOT of money, but it does afford hima decent life!

It depends on where you live as to how you will live on 30k.

ben weasel totally deserves that much money, if only for the song "totally"...

ben weasel lives in sand diego or near it, which is pricey, but he has a modest house paid fro with weasel money, so 30 thou affords him a very nice living.

yeah, no mortgage or rent means steak whenever you want.

Well hey, he could work a really easy job and add 10 - 15 thousand more to his overall total I guess.