Simon Cowell is known around the world as the strictest music mogul in the business, but how did he make his millions?
Simon Cowell found his first real fame and riches while producing hit British reality show, Pop Idol. This was followed closely by American Idol. Today, Simon Cowell has an approximated net worth of over $600 million.
Read on to learn more about how Simon Cowell found his massive wealth.
He’s The Music Man
Everybody today recognizes Simon Cowell as one of the most iconic judges in reality TV. He has long been famed for his strict, abrasive attitude and extremely critical opinion of on-show contestants. However, Cowell has worked extremely hard throughout his life to get to the position he’s in.
Simon Cowell set out on a path to music management stardom from a young age. While today he might be at the top of his game, Cowell started his career working at the lowest level at EMI Music, in the mailroom. Following that, he became a talent scout for musicians, a small-time record producer, and a consultant in the industry.
It wasn’t until 2001 that Simon Cowell really entered the spotlight as a successful, wealthy individual. He co-created and produced the hit British music reality show Pop Idol, and the US’ version, American Idol. These shows took television by storm, and by the mid-2000s, Cowell would be earning up to forty million dollars a year in salary for just one show.
Today, Cowell is responsible for the success of so many artists in the world, some of whom have enjoyed wild fame. These include One Direction, Westlife and Il Divo. This is just one of his many arms of musical success, as Cowell also runs a record label and numerous other businesses. Through all these endeavours, he still finds time to perform the role of judge on a number of shows: Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, or the X Factor.
Not All Smooth Sailing
Simon Cowell’s ascension to mass wealth wasn’t an easy path. The middle-aged music mogul had to transition through many struggles and failures on his way to the top, many of which have been widely publicized.
In 1989, Cowell faced bankruptcy, as a record company he had founded collapsed. The short-lived life of ‘Fanfare Records’ lasted just four years, and it almost financially ruined Cowell when it folded after almost no success.
However, these struggles had been present for Simon since a very young age. He was constantly in trouble, and was transferred to a new school sixteen times before finally leaving at the age of sixteen. It was here in the mid-seventies that Simon Cowell began his tumultuous early career.
He received wildly mixed reviews for his appearances on the reality television shows, with the majority of the public claiming he was ‘too opinionated’, or altogether unnecessarily harsh towards contestants. This has led to many clashes over the years, some of which you can see in the following YouTube video.
The Top Of His Game
As of 2020, Simon Cowell boasted a wealth of over $600 million. These are the overwhelming fruits of his success. It all started with Pop Idol, a show which gained a viewership of more than 11 million people in the first season, setting Cowell on the path to the ultimate prize: incredible wealth.
Over time, Cowell mellowed and lost some of his super sharp edge that was present on television. He invested heavily into philanthropy, supporting many charities and causes, and helping out those in need.
That isn’t how the rich stay rich, as they say, but it shows Simon Cowell was willing to give a little back to the world that had given him so much. You can see in the Twitter post below that Simon and his record label donated £1.3m to help charities hit by the Coronavirus.