Here’s How Much Each Artist Earned From Playing Woodstock

Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Held from August 15 to 18, 1969, in Bethel, New York, Woodstock was more than just a music festival; it was a cultural phenomenon that drew approximately half a million people. The festival, headlined by now-legendary acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, has since become emblematic of the 1960s counterculture and a defining moment in American history.

As the monetary breakdown shows, Hendrix earned the most money from the festival, pulling in about $18,000. (For reference, that’s roughly $112,000 in 2024). Blood, Sweat and Tears ($15,000), Joan Baez ($10,000), Creedence Clearwater Revival ($10,000), and The Band ($7,500) rounded out the Top 5 earners. Other A-listers such as The Who and Joe Cocker took home $6,250 and $1,375, respectively. There was a lot of cash to go around, to be sure, but the event wasn’t as steep as some of today’s big-budget productions.

Check out the full listing below.

1. Jimi Hendrix – $18,000 2. Blood, Sweat and Tears – $15,000 3. Joan Baez – $10,000 4. Creedence Clearwater Revival – $10,000 5. The Band – $7,500 6. Janis Joplin – $7,500 7. Jefferson Airplane – $7,500 8. Sly and the Family Stone – $7,000 9. Canned Heat – $6,500 10. The Who – $6,250 11. Richie Havens – $6,000 12. Arlo Guthrie – $5,000 13. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – $5,000 14. Ravi Shankar – $4,500 15. Johnny Winter – $3,750 16. Ten Years After – $3,250 17. Country Joe and the Fish – $2,500 18. Grateful Dead – $2,500 19. The Incredible String Band – $2,250 20. Mountain – $2,000 21. Tim Hardin – $2,000

22. Joe Cocker – $1,375 23. Sweetwater – $1,250 24. John B. Sebastian – $1,000 25. Melanie – $750 26. Santana – $750 27. Sha Na Na – $700 28. Keef Hartley – $500 29. Quill – $375

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