Led by its charismatic frontman Chris Martin, Coldplay is known for headlining packed stadiums around the world and delivering chart-topping songs and albums, which, as a result, have boosted their net worth over the years.
Among the greatest music acts of the 21st century, Coldplay comprises four performing members — Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion. They also count creative director Phil Harvey as the fifth member of the band.
The British rock group was formed in 1998, and it defied the music industry’s norm, where bands crumble in a short span, to remain dominant on the scene for 24 years. They have won seven Grammy awards. All of their nine studio albums have topped UK Albums Chart, while four of them topped Billboard 200.
Spotify data from July 2023 reveals that the band has over 68 million monthly listeners — a count that has grown by four million in a single month.
Coldplay is currently on their Music of the Spheres World Tour, as part of which they will perform across Asian cities, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, through the rest of 2023 and early 2024.
The Singapore leg is in the news since the band will be performing for six nights in the city-state, which will be their longest in any Asian city and the longest since the six-night performance in São Paulo in March 2022.
The net worth of Chris Martin, the members and Coldplay
According to the British daily The Times’ May 2023 rich list, Chris Martin’s net worth is GBP 160 million, which comes to around USD 202 million. Based on the publication’s 2022 report, Martin’s net worth increased by as much as GBP 20 million, or USD 25 million.
On the other hand, the net worth of Coldplay was around USD 115 million as per Forbes’ estimates in July 2018. Though there is no substantial information on the band’s net worth in 2023, several reports suggest that it could now be at least USD 450 million.
Given The Times’ estimate of Martin’s year-on-year growth in wealth, it can be assumed that Coldplay’s fortunes have climbed rapidly in the five years since Forbes pegged a number to their overall net worth.
It also means that the rest of the performing members — Buckland, Berryman and Champion — share Coldplay’s remaining net worth of around USD 250 million. However, celebrity wealth tracker Celebrity Net Worth claims that each has a net worth of USD 100 million, which, if true, would bring the combined total of the three members to USD 300 million and take the total net worth of Coldplay to USD 502 million.
What contributes to Coldplay’s net worth
The Times reported in May 2023 that the biggest source of money for Martin (and each member, as can be concluded) is music, which is obvious since Coldplay has been on a record-breaking spree with their electrifying live shows. The report notes that the packed stadiums at their concerts have been “enormously lucrative.”
“They grossed USD 104 million playing 20 shows to 1.1 million fans in North America, and research suggests an annual gross of USD 330 million,” says The Times.
It also notes that in May, online concert ticket booking platform Ticketmaster saw a rush of 300,000 Coldplay fans who wanted to book tickets for the Music of the Spheres concert in Perth, Australia.
In June 2023, they broke the record for most tickets sold in Singapore after the band announced they would be bringing their Music of the Spheres tour to the Southeast-Asian city-state for four days in January 2024. Concert promoter Live Nation revealed that around 200,000 tickets were sold for the first four concerts scheduled from 23 January to 27 January.
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In fact, over a million people were in the virtual queue on Ticketmaster when pre-sales opened on 19 June. Such was the demand that Coldplay extended their tour days for Singapore from four — which was already a first for any act in Singapore — to six.
Singapore’s ticket-buying spree is just a snapshot of the massive demand for Coldplay concerts, which have been a major source of revenue for the band and, as a result, the members.
In June 2022, Billboard reported that Coldplay crossed a career total of more than USD 1 billion from their tours. This made them only the 11th act to do so, according to Billboard’s Boxscore metric. The revenue generated came from more than 12 million tickets sold from 456 reported shows.
The rise in popularity and earnings is despite the band charging less than any other top 10 acts in the world. According to a May 2022 Bloomberg report, the band was charging just USD 77.8 on average per ticket for their then tour. The figure was only 75 per cent of what other top acts were charging at the time for their performances.
“Coldplay’s average ticket price is less than half of what it costs to see Bad Bunny, who is the top-grossing performer on tour so far this year [2022]. It’s even cheaper than what Coldplay charged five or six years ago,” noted the report.
How Chris Martin spends his fortune
Properties owned by Chris Martin
Martin and his girlfriend Dakota Johnson have been making headlines for their stays in Malibu, California. Multiple reports indicate that the two own multiple properties in the city and, possibly, the same neighbourhood of Point Dume.
According to The New York Post, they moved in together into a large property in Point Dume in January 2021, which the Coldplay frontman had bought for USD 12.5 million in October 2020. But Martin sold it in December 2021 for USD 14.4 million.
The estate, measuring around 496 square metres, came with a main house with high, vaulted ceilings, and a two-story guest house with a game room. The main house featured six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and both indoor and outdoor fireplaces. A pool, a spa and an outdoor barbecue area were also inside the gated property.
He was possibly on this property when he went live on Coldplay’s official Instagram handle during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
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After selling the property, Martin immediately used almost the entire amount to buy another one in Point Dume. According to E! News, a source said that the house he bought is situated “in a more private and desirable location.”
According to Dirt, the house on the property measures 325 square metres. But the ground on which it is located measures around 6,070 square metres. Martin and Johnson also have direct access to Little Dume Beach from the property.
In December 2022, The Evening Standard reported that Martin is also getting one of his most famous properties completely rebuilt. Known as The Garwood Residence, the massive beachfront property once stood in the Point Dume neighbourhood in Malibu — not far from where Martin stays now.
The singer-songwriter bought the house for USD 14 million in 2014 with his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow, whose own net worth is estimated at around USD 200 million. Following their divorce in 2016, Martin retained possession of the house. The original 340-square-metre property had a four-bedroom house, a pool, a gym, a yoga studio and a tennis court. It also had its own private access to Little Dume Beach.
According to the report, Martin and Johnson plan to increase the area of the property to 500 square metres. Among the amenities they plan are an amphitheatre and a detachable garage, a new swimming pool and a tennis court. A guesthouse measuring 83 square metres and an open-air carport is part of the construction plans as well.
Among Martin’s other properties in Point Dume are a small renovated ranch house originally built in the 1960s, which he bought for just around USD 6 million in 2019, and the Malibu Playhouse theatre.
Martin also owned a massive property in England — a 33-room house located in Primrose Hill, London. The house was built by merging two houses, one of which belonged to Hollywood icon Kate Winslet. Martin had purchased the house with Paltrow, and the two lived in it for much of their time in England. Following their divorce, Martin got possession of the property. The Daily Mail reported in June 2022 that he had sold it to an Asian businessman for USD 16 million, netting around USD 9 million in profit.
Cars owned by Chris Martin and his bandmates
In a December 2016 interview with Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small, the show host of Nova FM’s National night-time programme, Chris Martin revealed that he has never bought a car.
“I’ve never bought a car. Never really drive too much,” he said when he was asked about the first car he bought.
Interestingly, earlier the same year, Martin appeared on Carpool Karaoke, a segment of The Late Show With James Corden, where he is seen hitching a ride in Corden’s car to be able to reach San Francisco on time for his Super Bowl performance with Coldplay.
In that same Nova FM interview, however, Buckland said that the first car he bought was a four-wheeler by electric car maker Tesla.
Yachts and private jets
As a band, Coldplay has to perform around the world. Though private jets do not form part of their assets or net worth, Coldplay travels in chartered aircraft to the destinations where they are scheduled for performing.
Martin reportedly charters private aircraft as well as private helicopters when on vacations. He has been spotted multiple times jet-setting off to holiday destinations with Paltrow (and their children) when they were married.
Martin also uses yachts and boats. He was seen holidaying with Paltrow and the children on a luxury yacht in the French city of Cannes in mid-2017, which was after the couple’s divorce.
E! News reported in June 2021 that he flew down to Palma De Mallorca in Spain with Johnson for a vacation, where they were seen enjoying boat rides.
Philanthropic activities
Coldplay is known for its extensive support of charitable causes and environmental issues. The band and its members have been donating part of their profits to charity since the start of their career.
According to charity watchdog Look to the Stars, the band supports over 30 charities. They have worked with organisations such as Keep A Child Alive, Global Citizen and Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MAOS).
Coldplay played at a Hope for Haiti telethon to support the Caribbean island after it was devastated by a major earthquake in 2010. Some years before that, Martin had travelled to Haiti and Ghana to understand how international trade policies affected the farmers in the two countries.
The band has performed at Secret Policeman’s Ball for Amnesty International and Band Aid 30 to help raise funds to combat the Ebola outbreak as well.
Both the band and each of the four performing members donate 10 per cent of their profits to charity.
Martin had explained why they do so in a conversation on the TV show Today in 2016. He told host Richard Wilkins that his mother taught him to donate when he was only 10 years old.
“It’s very important for us. It drives us on. We don’t talk about it that much but you asked. It is true,” Martin said about Coldplay’s charitable initiatives.
Martin extends his desire for charity into his brand associations.
When he joined forces with California-based Swiss-made watch brand Skywatch on the limited-edition Skywatch X Love Button in December 2022, part of the proceeds went to the non-profit organisation called Love Button Global Movement.
The donation to the organisation, which works with other groups for the upliftment of society and spreading kindness, was reportedly around USD 250,000.
“I’m really happy to be involved with this collaboration between Skywatch and Love Button for these great watches, and I believe very much in the causes which will benefit from it,” Martin said about the collaboration and its goal.
(Hero image: Raph_PH – ColdplayBBC071221 (53 of 53)/CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons; Featured image: Coldplay/@coldplay/Twitter)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Chris Martin is the richest member of Coldplay. His personal net worth is estimated at around USD 202 million.
Answer: 'Billboard' reported in June 2022 that Coldplay crossed a career total of more than USD 1 billion in earnings from their tours alone. Tickets to their concerts sell out in less than a week, and they continue to perform before packed stadiums.
Answer: Both Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow are almost equally rich. Estimates suggest that each has a net worth of at least USD 200 million.
Answer: Coldplay is successful because of their ability to create timeless songs that appeal to generations. Their music is seen as relatable and emotional, while their performances are known for the breathtaking visuals and active engagement of the fans in attendance.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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