Paul McCartney Paid $1.57 For Olympics Opening Ceremony Gig
Paul McCartney played a set at the Friday’s opening ceremonies to the 2012 London Olympics that drew praise and adoration for the living legend. One thing it didn’t net McCartney was a big payday.
London Olympic organizers said that the former Beatle and others who performed in Friday’s opening ceremonies were paid one pound, the equivalent of $1.57 in American money, The Huffington Post reported.
Paul McCartney and the other performers would have gone on for free, but in order to make their contracts binding there needed to be some form of payment, The Huffington Post reported.
“The top talent basically gave their services for free,” a London 2012 spokeswoman told AFP.
“But in order to have a formal contract for their services you have to show an amount, so that was set at a pound which enables them to have a contractual arrangement.”
The other performers, which included Mike Oldfield and Emeli Sande, also received the nominal payment for their acts, the report said. The show from British director Danny Boyle, entitled “Isle of Wonder,” featured British music from across generations. Paul McCartney’s set gave way to two of the hottest local acts, the band Arctic Monkeys and grime star Rascal.
The show has been a hit, with a two-disc set titled Isles of Wonder currently topping the iTunes album charts in Belgium, Britain, France and Spain, AFP reported. It’s reached No. 5 in the US.
Paul McCartney can likely afford the free show. As Britain’s wealthiest musician, he has an estimated fortune of £665 million ($995 million), according to Rich List 2012, which is published by The Sunday Times newspaper.
