Do you want to read more on Rick Cox net worth? Here’s exactly how he got to his $2 million net worth.
Rick Cox is a name that only those who appreciate modern musical geniuses know. He has the skills and the talent to become a big name in the entertainment business and the musical world.
But Cox never really went after the spotlight, he prefers the subtle presence he has in the industry, so whenever he performs live, the event instantly becomes a rare treat.
He’s not like big names in the music industry like Future or Ludacris.
To make a lot of money out of something we’re passionate about is something we all wish for. Rick Cox net worth comes from being a gifted musician-composer, dedicated to creating original melodies appreciated even by the best of his peers.

Rick Cox – Early Life, Education, and Musical Influence
Rick Cox’s passion for music started at a very young age. He began taking piano lessons at the age of eight. As he grew older, Cox kept expanding his knowledge by learning other instruments like the guitar and the saxophone, but he stuck with playing the guitar in his teens.
Cox was exposed to different types of music, which included bossa nova. This eventually led him to play classical music with a guitar.
At 17, Cox attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Michigan where he majored in classical guitar. The school teaches classical, jazz, rock, folk, and blues; it provided different growth opportunities for Cox.
After signing up to one of his classes, Cox became a student of American composer Barney Childs, who was then a resident teacher at the conservatory. Childs challenged his students from day one, including Cox, to step beyond their comfort zone, encouraging their creative freedom.
Barney Childs continued to be an essential creative influence to Rick Cox. He learned how to play the cello and the sitar as part of the experimental music composition scope he took up under Childs. Rick Cox also developed many of his guitar-playing techniques while participating in an improvisation ensemble under the American composer’s guidance.
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Rick Cox Net Worth – Career Moments
Rick Cox began his musical career in the ‘70s as a jazz artist specializing in extended play and improvisations with the clarinet. But not long after, he picked up his guitar again and took an interest in producing ambient music with different instruments and from natural sounds.
Ambient music is also referred to as background music. 20th-century French composer Erik Satie was one of the first who ever took an interest in this type of genre. His music was a composition of natural sounds, usually played from simple to grand gatherings.
This musical genre’s popularity peaked in the 1960s, just a decade before Rick Cox first dabbled in ambient music.

Collaborations with Thomas Newman – Film Score Composer
Rick Cox met Hollywood film composer Thomas Newman in the early 1980s. By that time, Cox was in the middle of transitioning from performing on stage to working full-time in a studio, working as a film score composer. Tucking himself behind the scene and taking a shine more on the technical side of music gave him the chance to work with other composers and artists.
Thomas Newman arranged musical scores for films like Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, and The Horse Whisperer with a bit of influence from the sounds of Rick Cox. They officially collaborated on the electro-acoustic album 35 Whirlpools Below Sound, released in 2014 under Cold Blue Music.
Working with Jon Hassell
Rick Cox specifically noted that his chance meeting with American trumpet player and composer Jon Hassell was important. It was also in the same time during the early 80s when he first was acquainted with Newman. Their collaboration gave way to many great projects with other artists.
Cox started playing live again, touring alongside Hassell. The pair continued to work on projects with other composers and musicians like Peter Freeman and Joachim Cooder.
Notable Performances and Collaborations
- Cox recorded EP These Things Stop Breathing in 1983 with prepared electric guitar and clarinet.
- Cox performed in a clarinet and string quartet for When April May under Raptoria Caam’s label in 1990.
- The Extended Play Fade is a 25-minute track of ambient music performed by Thomas Newman on piano, Rick Cox on electric guitar, and Peter Freeman on bass under Cold Blue Music in 2005.
- Cox compiled his unreleased compositions of the 1990s in a CD with the title Maria Falling Away under Cold Blue Music, in 2014.
Rick Cox Net Worth – People Also Ask
What does Rick Cox Do For A Living?
Rick Cox is a musician and composer who has a background working in the film industry, creating film scores and movie soundtracks. He also collaborates with other composers and musicians for albums and live performances. Rick Cox net worth from the previous year was at $1.8M
Rick Cox was initially a jazz artist who used to perform in front of people. He also went on a concert tour with Jon Hassell. Cox mostly settled working on the studio side of creating musical scores.
How Much Is Rick Cox Worth?
Rick Cox net worth is around $2M based on a Musical Producer’s salary of $323K. We should also consider royalties from songs he released, compositions and collaborations with performers, independent projects, including live and per-recorded performances.
Which Projects Is Musician Rick Cox Known For?
Rick Cox may not be a household name, but he is greatly respected amongst his peers like Hollywood film score composer Thomas Newman. Though not an official collaboration, Newman borrowed Cox’s style and sounds to create scores for award-winning movies The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, and The Horse Whisperer.
Cox and Newman eventually collaborated to release an album of Ambient music under Cold Blue Music label released around October of 2014. This was followed by personal projects, which Cox also launched over the net, behind-the-scenes collaborations, and a concert tour.

Rick Cox Net Worth Closing Thoughts
Rick Cox pretty much embodies how much passion a person has for something they genuinely love doing. For Cox, he was born to create music and share it with the world.
Thanks to the mentorship of a free-spirited composer like Barney Childs, Cox experiments on music with a slight obsession and welcomes collaborations regardless of genre, instrument or rhythm.
So how come Rick Cox, the musician-composer, didn’t gain the fame he should’ve had when he’s in the same league as award-winning talents in the music industry? For one, Cox never really chased after fame or recognition. He seemed more interested in sitting in his studio and exploring a melody’s different potentials.
But before he decided to put performing aside, Cox was a multi-talented musician who had experience and explored other genres, mastered multiple instruments to satisfy his curiosity.
Rick Cox did express his desire to work again with the same people he was fortunate enough to collaborate with in the past, especially Jon Hassell and Thomas Newman.
It’s unfortunate that there’s not much info on Rick Cox’s most recent projects, but we can catch bits of this elusive composer on the internet, sharing his guitar tricks, and short clips on his projects.
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