Bruce Springsteen says the key to his success is his band's good pay

• Bruce Springsteen spoke about his band's longevity at the screening of his new tour documentary.
• He has toured and recorded music with the E Street Band since the 1970s.
• “I pay them a huge amount of money,” Springsteen said at an event in London on Friday.

After a recent screening of Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band in London, Bruce Springsteen revealed the key to his success and longevity.

The 75-year-old musician, who is worth more than $1 billion, said being a “pretty nice boss” and paying his band well was crucial to his career.

“I pay them a huge amount of money. It greases the wheels pretty well,” he said at Friday’s event. “And besides, I’m a pretty nice boss. The truth is that you have to cast your band well.”

“If you get the art, the music and the band right, you go out and play every night like it's your last night on earth. “That’s been the band’s ongoing philosophy and we’re sticking with it,” he added.

Springsteen has worked with the E Street Band since the 1970s. Although the lineup has changed a few times over the years, many of its members have been with Springsteen for decades.

Springsteen described the documentary, which premieres October 25 on Hulu in the US and Disney+, as essentially “about the rewards that come with a band staying together.”

“The real arc of rock and roll bands is to break up,” he said. “Think about it: How many bands have stayed together and how many have broken up?”

“Forget about bands staying together, we can’t make two people stay together,” Springsteen added.

Stevie Van Zandt, one of the members of the E Street Band; director Thom Zimny; and Springsteen's longtime manager Jon Landau also took part in the post-screening Q&A and spoke about working with Springsteen.

Van Zandt said that the band has always focused on the music rather than striving for success.

“It was never a commercial venture,” he said. “It was an artistic adventure from the start.”

“So everyone who took part knew that this was exactly what they were getting into. Luckily, we also found a commercial calling along the way, which was great,” Van Zandt added.

Springsteen is best known for hits like “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road” and “Born in the USA.” He has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and won 20 Grammy Awards.

According to Forbes, Springsteen is currently worth $1.2 billion.

He earned around $500 million from selling his music catalog to Sony in 2021 alone.