What is Scott Ian's Net Worth?
Scott Ian is an American musician who has a net worth of $8 million. Scott Ian is best known as the rhythm guitarist, lyricist, and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. He also co-founded the band Stormtroopers of Death, and played rhythm guitar with the bands the Damned Things, Pearl, and Mr. Bungle. Elsewhere, Ian has appeared frequently on the cable television network VH1, including as host of "Rock Show."
Early Life and Education
Scott Ian was born as Scott Ian Rosenfeld on New Year's Eve, 1963 in the Queens borough of New York City into a Jewish family. He has a younger brother named Jason and a half-brother named Sean. As a teenager, Ian attended Bayside High School, where his classmates included his future Anthrax band mates Dan Lilker and Neil Turbin. A defining moment in his life came in 1977 when he saw KISS play Madison Square Garden.
Anthrax
In the summer of 1981, Ian formed the thrash metal band Anthrax with his former high school classmate Danny Lilker, a bassist. The original lineup was completed by John Connelly and Paul Kahn. However, numerous lineup changes occurred before the band released its debut album, "Fistful of Metal," in 1984. After that album, Lilker and frontman Neil Turbin left the band; they were replaced by Frank Bello and Joey Belladonna, respectively. Anthrax went on to release the album "Spreading the Disease" in 1985. The band had its commercial breakthrough two years later with "Among the Living," which reached number 62 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Anthrax had even greater success with its subsequent albums, starting with 1988's "State of Euphoria," which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard 200. That was followed in 1990 by "Persistence of Time," which reached number 24 on the chart and earned Anthrax its first Grammy Award nomination, for Best Metal Performance. The band had its biggest chart success with its sixth studio album, 1993's "Sound of White Noise"; the first to feature vocalist John Bush, it peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200.
In 1995, Anthrax released "Stomp 442," featuring production by the Philadelphia-based Butcher Bros. The band's next studio album, 1998's "Volume 8: The Threat is Real," was a commercial disappointment, largely owing to the imminent bankruptcy of the independent label it was released on, Ignition Records. Anthrax struggled to climb back to commercial success with "We've Come for You All," released in 2003. Following a long break from recording, the band made its studio comeback with "Worship Music," released in 2011. The first Anthrax album with Belladonna in 21 years, it reached number 12 on the Billboard 200. Anthrax had another hit with "For All Kings," which made it to number nine on the Billboard 200 after its release in early 2016. It was the band's first album to feature Jon Donais on lead guitar. In addition to its studio albums, Anthrax has released several EPs, compilation albums, live albums, and video albums over the years. The band is considered one of the "Big Four" of the thrash metal genre, alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer.
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Stormtroopers of Death
After finishing his guitar tracks on the Anthrax album "Spreading the Disease" in 1985, Ian drew pictures of a spiteful character he called Sargent D. He eventually decided to form a hardcore band, Stormtroopers of Death, based on the character. Ian recruited his Anthrax band mates Dan Lilker and Charlie Benante, as well as Psychos bassist Billy Milano, to form the group. Stormtroopers of Death went on to release its debut album, "Speak English or Die," which has been credited with helping to pioneer the fusion of hardcore punk with thrash metal. The band's next album was the 1992 live album "Live at Budokan." That was followed by the 1997 studio album "Bigger than the Devil." Stormtroopers of Death released its third and final album, "Rise of the Infidels," in the summer of 2007.
Other Bands
Beyond Anthrax and Stormtroopers of Death, Ian formed the metal supergroup the Damned Things with Joe Trohman, Keith Buckley, Rob Caggiano, and Andy Hurley in 2009. The band released its debut album, "Ironiclast," late the following year. The Damned Things went on to release a follow-up, "High Crimes," in 2019.
In 2020, Ian joined the band Mr. Bungle for a series of live performances of its 1986 demo album "The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny." The band had just recently reunited as a thrash metal band, after having originally disbanded in 2000. Mr. Bungle subsequently returned to the studio to re-record the demo and release it as a professional album.
VH1
In 2001, Ian joined the cable television channel VH1 as the host of its program "Rock Show." He went on to appear on many other VH1 programs over the ensuing years, including "Supergroup," "100 Most Metal Moments," "Behind the Music," "Heavy: The Story of Metal," and the "I Love…" series.
Books
Ian has authored some books. In 2008, he was asked by DC Comics to pen a two-issue prestige-format comics series featuring the character Lobo. The books were released in late 2009. Later, in 2015, Ian published his memoir "I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax." Two years after that, he released a follow-up book entitled "Access All Areas: Stories from a Hard Rock Life."
Other Media Appearances
Among his other appearances in the media, Ian played himself in the 2022 Netflix teen film "Metal Lords." Alongside such other metal musicians as Tom Morello and Rob Halford, he represented the conscience of Jaeden Martell's protagonist, Kevin. Elsewhere, Ian has done solo spoken-word tours across the world.
Personal Life and Real Estate
In the 1980s, Ian was married to his high school sweetheart, Marge Ginsburg. They eventually got divorced. Later, in 2011, Ian married singer Pearl Aday, with whom he has one child.
In his spare time, Ian plays poker. He has been a professional player for the Internet gaming site Ultimate Bet, competing in the 2009 World Series of Poker. Ian is also an avid fan of author Stephen King and the television series "Battlestar Galactica."
In June 2000, Scott paid $779,000 for a home in Los Angeles. Today this home is estimated to be worth between $4 and $5 million.
