Metal and Hard rock fans may continue to argue which band is the biggest Metal band of all time but you can’t argue with the numbers and a recent report is putting this question to rest. Pollstar has released a report based on ticket sales and financial earnings from since 1982 and there is no doubt: Metallica takes the crown.
Since 1982, Metallica has sold close to 22.1 million tickets, which rolled in approximately 1.4 billion dollars. Trailing behind them are Guns N’ Roses with 800 million dollars in ticket sells – most of them from Not in This Lifetime reunion tours. Another band on the list are AC/DC with 14 million tickets sold and Ozzy Osbourne who with his Black Sabbath sales reached 13.2 million tickets.
According to Pollstar, though Metallica may not be the biggest touring band in the world (a title still held by U2), if you factor in their merchandise and album sells and their international reach they may be the biggest musical group in the world.
Drummer Lars Ulrich sums it up “I keep thinking and forcing myself to think all our best years are still ahead of us. We may even turn professional and do this full time one day.”
