The following is a list of the highest recorded musical artist's net worth (also know as wealthiest musiciansorrichest musicians), mostly based in the report of American business magazine Forbes.
As of 2024, six music artists have reached the billionaire status on Forbes reports: Jay-Z leading the list with US$2.5 billion, and becoming the first hip-hop billionaire artist, followed by Rihanna (the first billionaire female artist), Taylor Swift—the first primarily billionaire artist on the basis of her music and performances, and Jimmy Buffett. Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kanye West also reached the status before being dropped off.
Although Michael Jackson never appeared on the Forbes Billionaire list during his lifetime, nor was he ever ranked among Forbes' 400 richest Americans, Forbes reported in 2018 that his total career pretax earnings, both in life and posthumously, amounted to $4.2 billion.[1] As of 2024, various reports estimate that Jackson's estate is worth over $2 billion.[2][3]
Forbes lists are dominated by American artists, while musicians of other nationalities have built their wealth predominantly in the U.S., such as Celine Dion. Reports from others business-related publications such as Bloomberg L.P. could differ; for instance, they valued Kanye West at US$6.6 billion in 2021, while West himself measured at least US$3.3 billion in 2020.[4][5] Outside of Forbes, net worth estimations could vastly vary amid same artists and different sources, as some media outlets have published estimations from various websites and lists such as CelebrityNetWorth, Bankrate and Sunday Times Rich List. Artists such as Bono and Paul McCartney have been claimed to achieve billionaire status, albeit denied by Forbes.[6][7]
The following are music artists with a net worth of over $300 million (adjusted for inflation) according to Forbes. The artists are listed based on the nominal figure on their most recently available estimation.
| Artists | Nationality | Lifetime | Net worth | Report year | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latest estimation |
Peak estimation |
Peak estimation adjusted in 2023 $ |
Latest | Peak | ||||
| Jay-Z | United States | 1969–present | $2.5 billion | $2.5 billion | 2024 | [8] | ||
| Rihanna | Barbados | 1988–present | $1.4 billion | $1.7 billion | $1.77 billion | 2024 | 2022 | [9][10] |
| Taylor Swift | United States | 1989–present | $1.3 billion | $1.3 billion | 2024 | [11] | ||
| Jimmy Buffett | United States | 1946–2023 | $1 billion | $1 billion | 2023 | [12] | ||
| Madonna | United States | 1958–present | $850 million | $850 million | 2024 | [13] | ||
| Dr. Dre | United States | 1965–present | $800 million | $953 million | 2019 | [14] | ||
| Beyoncé | United States | 1981–present | $760 million | $800 million | $800 million | 2024 | 2023 | [15][16] |
| Sean "Diddy" Combs | United States | 1969–present | $740 million[a] | $820 million | $1.02 billion | 2019 | 2017 | [18][19] |
| Julio Iglesias | Spain | 1943–present | $600 million[b] | $600 million | 2023 | [20] | ||
| Celine Dion | Canada | 1968–present | $550 million | $550 million | 2024 | [21] | ||
| Bruce Springsteen | United States | 1949–present | $460 million | $584 million | 2016 | [22] | ||
| Barbra Streisand | United States | 1942–present | $460 million | $460 million | 2024 | [23] | ||
| Dolly Parton | United States | 1946–present | $450 million | $450 million | 2024 | [24] | ||
| Kanye West | United States | 1977–present | $400 million | $2 billion | $2.08 billion | 2024 | 2022 | [25][5] |
| Michael Jackson | United States | 1958–2009 | $350 million | $580 million | 2003 | [26] | ||
| Katy Perry | United States | 1984–present | $350 million | $350 million | 2024 | [27] | ||
| Mariah Carey | United States | 1969–present | $225 million[c] | $331 million | 2007 | [28] | ||
| Yoko Ono | Japan | 1933–present | $150 million | $474 million | 1982 | [29] | ||
The following are music artists with a net worth of over £300 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
| Artists | Nationality | Lifetime | Net worth | Report year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | 1942–present | £1 billion | 2024 | [30] |
| U2 | Ireland | 1976–present | £625 million | 2022 | [31] |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber | United Kingdom | 1948–present | £504 million | 2023 | [32] |
| Elton John | United Kingdom | 1947–present | £470 million | 2024 | [33] |
| Mick Jagger | United Kingdom | 1943–present | £318 million | 2022 | [34] |
| Sting | United Kingdom | 1951–present | £320 million | 2022 | [35] |
| Keith Richards | United Kingdom | 1976–present | £303 million | 2022 | [31] |
| Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | 1991–present | £300 million | 2023 | [36] |
In 2020, one Elvis Presley's state executive told Rolling Stone magazine that artist's estate was worth between US$400-500 million.[37] As of 2024, the Estate of Michael Jackson has been valued over US$2 billion.[2][3]
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