How Brian May Achieved a Net Worth of $210 Million

Brian May served as the guitarist for the musical band Queen. The English musician rose to fame with other members of the group including the late great Freddie Mercury in the 1980s until Mercury's death in 1991. May has an estimated net worth of $210 million. How did Mr. May earn his fortune? Was it through his years with the mega-rock band Queen or was it through investments? We were curious and while looking into his career and financial history we made some fascinating discoveries about him.

His early years

He was born in Hampton, London, England on July 19, 1947. His parents named him Brian Harold May. Hed is of Scottish and English ancestry. He was the only child of Harold May and Ruth Irving. May showed great academic potential since he was a young child attending Hampton Grammar school, earning remarkable results after taking his GCE. He earned his bachelor of science degree in physics and mathematics from Imperial College. He became famous after joining the band Queen as a guitarist and he is a founding member of the group. Queen went international and became one of the most beloved rock bands in the world. His musicianship earned him a place in the history of rock and roll. At the age of 72, he is a multi-millionaire who is considered by many to be one of the greatest rock guitarists in teh world.

Success with Queen

In addition to being a guitarist and singer, Brian is also a very talented songwriter. The band skyrocketed to success with hits including "We Are the Champions," "We Will Rock You," "Tie Your Mother Down," "All I Want," and several others. The band, as many other rock groups of its era, had its ups and downs. After Freddie Mercury's death, each remaining member of the band, including May experienced a tremendous surge in their wealth. For a period of time, anything related to Queen sold like hotcakes and May received royalties as did other bandmates.

His other endeavors

In addition to being a very talented musician, Brian May is also an academic. He is a highly educated man who earned his doctorate degree in Astrophysics. He is also an authority on 3D stereoscopic photography. While May was a student in his PhD program, he took a break from his studies when Queen became popular and he had to dedicate all his time to the group. His passions were Astronomy and music and he put the academics on hold to pursue his passion for music. He went back to complete his studies in astrophysics at Imperial College where he earned his Ph.D. degree.

He put his academic credentials to work

Brian May was appointed to the position of Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University in 2008. He served in the post until 2013. May is also an animal rights advocate. He is passionate about this endeavor and he has long served as an advocate for the cause. He has made significant contributions to charity work throughout his life as well as to the music industry. In 2005, Brian was appointed as a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This as an impressive honor that was well-deserved.

Revenue sources

May has earned his hundreds of millions through multiple revenue sources. In 2018 he was an executive music producer for "Bohemian Rhapsody" the biographical film about Queen and Freddie Merciry, and it made a massive showing at the box office bringing in a worldwide collection of $903.65 million. Queen sold 34. 5 million albums and was ranked 47 in the world in sales. Brian May wrote and componsed the music and lyrics for the Queen hit song "We Will Rock You" which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It is one of the most famous and widely used songs in the world. Teh group released a total of 15 studio albums that became international successes and May and the other band members still receive royalty checks from teh sale of the albums and for his songs. There is also an official "Queen" YouTube channel that is bringing in yet more revenue. The channel has more than 11 million subscribers who visit the site to view cocerts, interviews and documentaries. Members of the band earn up to nearly 5 million in BP per year from the channel.

He owns a guitar business

In addition to everythign else, Brian May is the owner of BMG which stands for Brian May Guitars. He sells them for about 495 pounds each. He and his father designed and built the guitar that he played when he was with Queen. It was called The Red Special because of its reddish brown coloring. May not sells his sigature electric guitars. He is currently living iwth his wife Anita Dobson in a large mansion in Windlesham, Surrey, as well as in London.

Final thoughts

There is little doubt that Brian May ha made his fortune in the music industry. The band fared very well during its heyday, but the income of the band members skyrocketed after the death of Freddie Mercury. The songs that Brian May has written are still being sold and he will likely receive generous royalty checks as long as he is alive. Brian May has several different income sources including his own guitar making business. He has worked as a college chancellor and he has so many different talents that have helped him to get ahead in life. Although he has done a lot of different things in his life and career, it was his involvement in the entertainment industry that has contributed to the bulk of his personal wealth. The music and even film industry has been very good to Brian May, but in turn, he has also been very good for them.