“I’m some poor working-class kid from Liverpool. I’ve done music all my life,” McCartney told the New York Times in 2020. “I’ve had huge success, and people often try to do what I want, so you get a false feeling of omnipotence. All that together makes a complex person. We’re all complex. Well, maybe I’m more complex than other people because of coming from poverty.”

Today, McCartney may lord over several multimillion-dollar estates across the U.K. and U.S., but his start was much more modest. His father, Jim, worked as a cotton salesman and was an amateur jazz musician, while his mother, Mary, was a midwife—and McCartney has said that having little money growing up inspired him to earn it.

“When I was in Liverpool as a kid, I used to listen to people’s conversations. I remember a couple of women going on about money: ‘Ah, me and my husband, we’re always arguing about money.’ And I remember thinking very consciously, ‘OK, I’ll solve that; I will try to get money,’” McCartney continued. “That set me off on the ‘Let’s not have too many problems with money’ trail. What happened also was, not having much money, when anything came into the house, it was important.” 

And it wouldn’t take long for money-making opportunities to roll in as McCartney and his bandmates went from playing small clubs in Liverpool to becoming global superstars. 

By 21 years old, Paul McCartney was earning thousands and appearing on TV

McCartney was just 20 years old when The Beatles released their first single “Love Me Do” in 1962, and only 21 when the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and “Beatlemania” swept the U.S. 

The group earned a total of $10,000 from their three performances on the American variety show, which equates to over $100,000 today, adjusted for inflation. 

McCartney has said the iconic band was on “a slave contract,” reportedly earning less than a penny per album sold. But the members still reeled in a sizable chunk of change, snowballing their wealth after the band split through ongoing royalties, publishing rights, and solo ventures. 

McCartney has built a music-publishing empire of his own through his company MPL Communications, which owns the rights to thousands of songs.

“I was very lucky–I came from a very loving family of very smart working-class people,” McCartney said in an interview with The Rest is Entertainment podcast earlier this year. “And I always say to people: don’t underestimate the working class.”

McCartney’s business savvy scaled his $1.4 billion fortune: ‘Don’t underestimate the working class’

The Beatles are celebrated as one of the most successful bands of all time and are still a household name thanks to their enduring cultural impact. But McCartney didn’t hit a 10-figure net worth by simply resting on the laurels of his band’s success—the now-84-year-old has long leaned into his entrepreneurial side in entertainment. 

As well as acquiring valuable song catalogs and founding MPL Communications so he could have control of his solo-career publishing and master recordings, McCartney has been expanding his music holdings by snapping up other artists’ catalogs. 

Forbes estimates that MPL owns thousands of songs that generate tens of millions in revenue, including the catalog of songs by Buddy Holly, musical scores, and classic Christmas tunes. When you hear Baby, It’s Cold Outside or It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas on the radio, just know McCartney owns the jingle’s publishing rights. 

The new billionaire has also been able to win back a greater share of The Beatles catalog after a slew of lawsuits and negotiations. Paul, Ringo Starr, and the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison each get a 25% cut of the money generated by the band’s holding company, Apple Corps, which brings in at least $50 million every year from streams, vinyl sales, and merchandising. Forbes estimates the income stream is worth more than $150 million for each member. McCartney also brings in at least $10 million per year from his songwriting copyrights. And he’s still in the game; earlier this year, McCartney dropped a solo album titled “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” in which he reflects on his Liverpool roots. 

Despite becoming one of the wealthiest musicians in history, McCartney has repeatedly pointed to his upbringing as a source of perspective. He has said that growing up in a working-class community made it difficult to become too impressed with himself or his success—a humility that has stuck with the artist in reaching billionaire wealth. 

“Growing up in Liverpool, which is very working-class, you can’t get above yourself,” McCartney told Rolling Stone in 2016.