Yuri Antonov: royalties, wealth, fortune

Yachts, houses, business class cars... Yes, the sweet life of today's artists can only be envied, because they literally roll around like cheese in butter! Everyone has some luxurious mansion on the coast of Spain or somewhere in Cyprus, and their of a multi-million dollar fortune enough for their great-grandchildren! However, with USSR the big stars lived a little differently.....

They say that to become rich, you have to work hard and follow a set plan. In the case of Yuri AntonovAntonov's music is the result of unwavering persistence, natural talent, passion for his work and... a little bit of luck. His songs have become timeless classics, which are still relevant almost half a century later: dozens of hits, millions of copies... Antonov connected himself with music at a tender age, being still a schoolboy - even then he was already earning his first money, albeit small, but his own, proving to his parents that he was a good musician. music - something much more serious, a profession that deserves respect and pays off well.

Antonov's fame came to him towards the end of the 70s: at that time his eternal compositions such as "Anastasia," "The Golden Staircase," "I Remember." and so on. And with the advent of the new decade, the man became an all-union star: his song "Under the roof of your house." became a golden smash hit and a symbol of its era!

The artist's records were sold out instantly - the print runs were enormous! And the concerts were held with great full houses, and yes: tickets also disappeared from the box offices in the blink of an eye. He was famous outside the USSR, had legions of fans who remember and love him to this day... No wonder that in his time Antonov was the real deal an underground millionaire in the USSR! But what did he do with his money, which, according to his friends, he hid in bags under his bed? What did he spend it on? And... why didn't he like to be called an oligarch?

"Nothing to spend it on..."

Legends are made about Yuri Mikhailovich's untold riches: allegedly the artist received more than the top of the country, and he had so much money that he - not knowing what to spend it on - simply added it up bagged. And this is... pure truth. While Leonid Brezhnev received 800 roubles a month, Antonov received 500 roubles for one concert.

It is true that such fees began when the artiste started performing soloand were paid in an envelope. Well, how many performances Antonov gave per month (a lot), plus royalties (and he wrote not only for himself), plus record sales... And when the singer married a citizen of Yugoslavia in the 70's Miroslave BobanovicHe was able to travel abroad and bring high-quality equipment from there. Of course, Yuri Mikhailovich sold it to his domestic colleagues at a very favourable price....

In general, the sums involved were enormous. They say that the musician's monthly salary was no less than that 10 thousand roublesThe average salary in the country was 100-150 rubles (even 15 rubles)! For this reason Antonov is called an underground millionaire of the Soviet Union. However, the artist himself never concealed that he had plenty of money. But only on what to spend them - had no idea. In his interview Antonov said that in the USSR everything was different, and then the stars "did not go crazy with fat" as they do now. It was not fashionable to buy cars, houses... So there was nothing to buy.

"Under the USSR, money had no meaning as such. Few people chased after large sums of money, because there was no point in it. There was a certain ceiling, which was enough to live decently. When I was already popular, what I spent my fees on: to go to a restaurant for a nice meal, to give a girl flowers and sweets... It was unreal to buy a flat! I had what I had: a broken down Zhiguli - two cars at that, when one broke down, I would switch to the second one, and a 22 square metre flat in Vykhino, ground floor...".

Things Antonov didn't skimp on.

Since there was nothing to spend the money on, over the years of his dazzling fame, Yuri Antonov had accumulated fortune! This allowed him to live well even in the difficult for the whole country Perestroika period.

"There were useful connections, so most of the savings were saved - I took care of it in time..."

However - there have always been 2 things to save on which Antonov disliked: this jackets and perfume.

"I've never skimped on clothes and fragrance. Yes, it may be silly for some, yes, it was not cheap... But how great you feel in an expensive quality jacket, when you smell nice... People always paid attention to me!"

Antonov had a whole collection imported jacketsIt's no wonder that the artist has never lacked female attention. It is not surprising that the artist has never lacked female attention.

"Has the right."

Today, the 78-year-old USSR idol lives in his own spacious house outside the city, surrounded by many cats, dogs, squirrels and birds. Since Antonov failed to build personal happiness, animals became his only, and yet faithful companions. His health has been shaky lately, so the stage is out of the question. However - Antonov is ready to perform at a corporate party for a round sum, namely for 15 million roubles!

In the opinion of. Iosif PrigozhinAntonov has the right to demand that kind of money for his performance:

"I think it's worth millions of dollars! He really deserves it. Yuri Mikhailovich is a legend: the greatest author and composer, on whose hits more than one generation grew up..."

Do you agree with Prigozhin's opinion? Share in the comments.