Makingmusic, even if an artist makes it big, isn’t exactly the highest-paying career path.Many musicians struggle for years before they are discovered,and it often takes a hit album toturn them into stars. From there, assuming they sign onto a label, it definitely gets easier from a financial standpoint, but it’s still no walk in the park.
Once a musician becomes a household name, that is when they can start to bring in enough money to sustain a frivolous lifestyle.Fromtouringrevenue, to streaming revenue, and any other ventures like acting or starting a clothing or beauty line, it’s difficult, but certainly not impossible, for a musician to achieve massive levels of wealth.
Many of the wealthiest musicians have received a portion of their net worth from other ventures, while others have released a handful ofnumber one hitsthat have gone multi-platinum in sales and have earned them most of their wealth.These ten musicians have the highest net worth of any musical artist, and they have definitely earned every penny.
10Bono
700 million
The lead singer of Irish rock band U2, Bono, has a net worth of 700 million dollars. While he has dabbled a bit in writing in other forms,his wealth has come as a result of both his lyricism and his hypnotically beautiful vocalson songs like “With or Without You,” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”
Remarkably, Bono’s wealth comes almost entirely from artistic ventures; he hasn’t launched his own clothing line or started his own business. He has been a part of a few boards for different organizations and businesses, but for the most part,Bono is a self-made artist who has used his many artistic gifts to earn 700 million dollars to his name.
As the face and leader of U2, Bono has written a handful of multi-platinum albums, articles and op-eds that have been featured in venues likeThe New Yorker, and a best-selling memoir.The mononymous vocalist is one of the greatest wordsmiths of his generation,and his talent speaks, and often sings, for itself.
9Beyoncé
780 million
Another mononymous legend,the most-awarded female musician of all time, Beyoncé, has a net worth of roughly 780 million dollars.Since she got her start in the 1990s as a part of the girl group, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has won a total of 35 Grammy Awards, and has become one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Though most of her music falls under the umbrella of R&B, Beyoncé has experimented with, and dominated,other genresas well, releasing a country LP,Cowboy Carter,which subsequently won the Grammy for Best Country Album.Though she has only released eight solo albums throughout her career, all of them have reached platinum sales certifications.
Truth be told, it’s a wonder her net worth has yet to break the one billion dollar mark.
Beyond the performances of her studio albums, Beyoncé has played a Super Bowl halftime show, had a hand in a few different business endeavors, and, as a result,has become one of the most revered cultural icons of the 21st century.Truth be told, it’s a wonder her net worth has yet to break the one billion dollar mark.
8Herb Alpert
850 million
Though most musicians with hundreds of millions of dollars in net worth are, in fact, household names,there’s one man whose name not many people may know, and that’s Herb Alpert.Alpert is best known as the frontman of Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, a jazzy blues band that dominated the early 1960s.
Some of Alpert’s wealth definitely came from his time with the Tijuana Brass, buta decent amount of his 850 million dollar net worth came from his role as the co-founder of A&M Records,a label that has boasted acts like Joan Baez, Liza Minnelli, The Police, Janet Jackson, and Bryan Adams in its time.
In 1989, Alpert and his business partner sold A&M Records for 500 million dollars, and sued the buyer in 1998 for an additional 200 million(LA Times). As the founder and seller of A&M records, in addition to the Tijuana Brass, even without a massive household name, Alpert has earned himself a net worth of 850 million dollars.
7Madonna
Keeping with the theme of mononymous musicians who have nearly a billion dollars to their name,the original Queen of Pop, Madonna, is sitting pretty with a net worth of 850 million.Throughout her career, Madonna has released 14 studio albums, all of which charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, with nine reaching the number one spot.
As one of the best-selling female artists of all time,Madonna has both defined and redefined pop music as a genre, and has made sure to always look great doing it.She’s not afraid to push the envelope with regard to sexuality and political commentary, and there is not a pop musician today who hasn’t been touched by her influence.
Beyond her musical career, Madonna has been an outspoken advocate for many social and political issues, only bolstering her already massive and loyal fanbase. As a result,six of her tours over the last four decades have grossed over 100 million dollars in revenue,the latest of which was in 2024 (billboard), adding to her ever-growing legacy.
6Bruce Springsteen
1.2 billion
The boss,Bruce Springsteen, is the only artist to have a top five album in six decades,one for every decade in which he has released a studio album (Entertainment Weekly). It’s no secret that his is one of the most illustrious careers in rock music history, with 21 studio albums and 1.2 billion dollars to show for it.
Springsteen made his billion-dollar fortune almost entirely from his musical endeavors, buthe has also been very outspoken about his social and political views, which has resulted in numerous awards for the musician,including a number of Grammy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Woody Guthrie prize for social justice, and the National Medal of Arts.
In 2021, Springsteen sold his music catalog to Sony for a reported 500 million dollars, which was the sale that put him over the one billion dollar mark in net worth.
Since the release of his double platinum debut album,Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., in 1975,he has sold nearly 150 million records worldwide.In 2021, Springsteen sold his music catalog to Sony for a reported 500 million dollars, which was the sale that put him over the one billion dollar mark in net worth (BBC).
5Selena Gomez
1.3 billion
With a net worth of 1.3 billion dollars at just 32 years old,Selena Gomez has made her fortune through a few different avenues, not the least of which being as a musician.The pop star has released three solo studio albums, with two going platinum, a compilation album, and a collaborative studio album with her fiancé, Benny Blanco.
Gomez got her start as an actress, getting her big break at age 15 on Disney Channel’sWizards of Waverly Place. From there, she continued acting, began her music career, and founded her own cosmetics brand, Rare Beauty,all of which combined to earn her over one billion dollars to show for her illustrious career.
One of the youngest billionaires in the industry, Gomez’s net worth and career are sure to continue growing as she has started taking on more and more film and TV projects as an executive producer. Having gotten her start in acting, her acting career remains her primary source of success, butmake no mistake—her music career is not far behind.
4Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney has had one of the longest careers of any musician, andwith 1.3 billion dollars to his name at 83 years old, he isn’t slowing down any time soon.McCartney rose to fame in the early 1960s with The Beatles, but went on to form the band Wings, and release upwards of 25 solo albums, too.
Between his two bands and his solo career, McCartney has won 19 Grammy Awards, received Kennedy Center Honors, andhas also won the Grammys Lifetime Achievement award twice, once as a solo artist and once with the Beatles.He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist and with The Beatles.
McCartney has collaborated with numerous other artists in his time, of any and all genres and generations, and is a shining example of how community within the music industry can breed success.His sheer musical talent and love for the industry at large have brought him truly massive amounts of success and wealth.
3Rihanna
1.4 billion
It is quite literally impossible to discuss 2010s music and popular culture without spending a fair amount of time discussing Rihanna’s massive cultural impact.With an estimated 250 million records sold over the course of her career, she is one of the best-selling artists of all time, and the best-selling artist of the 21st century (BBC).
Since she rose to fame in the early 2000s,Rihanna has released eight studio albums that are absolutely chock-full of hits.She’s also collaborated with a handful of famous musicians, fellow billionaire Paul McCartney included, enjoyed a respectable acting career, and released her own wildly successful beauty and fashion brand, Fenty.
Though she is best known for her musical career,Rihanna’s wealth has been pretty evenly earned from her work as a vocalist, an actress, a business owner, and a fashion designer.Every single one of her ventures has been incredibly successful, and it seems that everything Rihanna touches turns to gold, or, rather, diamonds.
2Taylor Swift
1.6 billion
Taylor Swift’s 1.6 billion dollar fortune has stemmed heavily from what is arguably the biggest, most fiercely loyal fanbase of any celebrity, regardless of their industry. Between her Era’s Tour, and the ongoing re-release of her music under her own name and production,Taylor Swift has been the name on everyone’s lips throughout the 2020s especially.
Swift has released 11 studio albums in her career, and re-released four of those albums, witheach of them peaking in the top five of the Billboard 200, and all but one reaching the number one spot.The initial release of each of Swift’s albums achieved a platinum sales certification, and she has had 12 number one singles, too.
Swift’s 2023-2024 Eras Tour quickly became the highest-grossing tour of all time,the first to reach over one billion dollars in revenue, and subsequently, the first to reach over two billion dollars in revenue as well.Her success has been almost entirely from her musical career, and she has essentially redefined what it means to be a 21st century artist.
1Jay-Z
2.5 billion
Jay-Z is the kind of artist who has his entire city rallied behind him.New York City, Brooklyn in particular, is deeply intertwined with Jay-Z’s legacy both as an artist, and as a business owner and philanthropist.With his number one hit, “Empire State Of Mind,” the rapper has earned the complete loyalty of the wealthiest city in the US.
The Brooklyn-born rapper undoubtedly earned his fame from his music career, with 13 albums, 11 of which reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart, to show for it.His wealth, however, goes beyond his musical success;Jay-Z has invested in a number of companies and business ventures, which have afforded him his 2.5 billion dollar net worth.
The rapper’s business ventures have only grown since 2018, as has his multi-billion-dollar fortune.
It’s been seven years since Jay-Z’s last musical release, a collaborative album with his wife and fellow musical icon Beyoncé in 2018,but that break from music has not at all slowed down his work ethic.The rapper’s business ventures have only grown since 2018, as has his multi-billion-dollar fortune.
