In an appearance on the FeedbackDef podcast, Corey Taylor shared some revelations about Slipknot’s finances and dispelled myths about the wealth often associated with top-tier bands.
Taylor detailed that despite Slipknot’s popularity, the financial rewards have been modest. He revealed that with many members in the band, a crew to compensate for, and production costs, their net income is much less than the gross:
“Honestly, in a weird way, we don’t make a lot of money. I mean, we make enough to live, obviously, and we can live comfortably, but we’ve never been offered massive deals. There’s a lot of us in the band, and there’s a whole crew that we have to pay. There’s the production that we have to pay for. There’s all of this sh*t that we need to pay for. So at the end of the day, we are paid pretty much commensurate with what we are worth.”
Contrasting their earnings to those of major sports figures and actors, Taylor noted:
“We’ve never been even close to the big paydays that sports people get, actors — all of that sh*t. So in a weird way, we’re kind of — if you adjust for inflation, we’re upper middle class, basically. We’re not extravagant. We’re not rich by any stretch of the means, but we do okay. I can take care of my family. Their educations are good to go. I have insurance for all of my kids. And really, that’s it.”
Elaborating on Slipknot’s niche fanbase, Taylor claimed that their specific genre and sound might have limited their financial prospects:
“Maybe it’s because we’re so reactionary. Maybe it’s because we are not palatable for a mass audience. We appeal to our genre and people on the outskirts of our genre, but that’s it. We appeal to a lot of them, so we do okay, but we’re never gonna see f*cking Taylor Swift money, sh*t like that. So, the misconception that all rock stars are just rolling in it is not true. There’s a reason why we have to tour as much as we do because that’s the only way we can actually pay our f*cking bills.”
Taylor also spoke about the same financial issues in a 2019 interview with Vulture, where he elaborated on Slipknot’s financial arrangements. On the band’s ethos, he said that he and his band members share the earnings equally. This distribution among members, he suggested, contributed to their cohesive work ethic.
Recent Developments From Taylor and Slipknot
Earlier this year, Slipknot underwent a lineup change with the departure of longtime member Craig Jones and the introduction of a new keyboardist. Fans can look forward to their upcoming performances at the Hell and Heaven Fest in Mexico City on November 3 and the Sick New World Fest scheduled for April 27, 2024, in Las Vegas.
On the solo front, Taylor released his solo album, ‘CMFT,’ in October 2020 and worked on its follow-up, ‘CMF2,’ in early 2023. Despite charting well, he expressed disappointment in Roadrunner Records’ promotion of ‘CMFT.’ ‘CMF2‘ was subsequently released on September 15, 2023, under BMG Rights Management and his own imprint, Decibel Cooper Recordings.
In terms of upcoming shows, Taylor is poised to kick off his CMF2 Europe Tour on November 8, making stops in various countries, including the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, and other dates in Australia.
You can watch the rest of the interview below.
