Forbes list of the world's highest-paid musicians

This article is about musicians by earnings. For musicians by net worth, see List of music artists by net worth § Forbes.

The highest-paid musicians[1][2][3] in the world have been reported annually by Forbes since 1987. For measurement, the magazine used pretax earnings—before deducting fees for agents, managers or lawyers.[4] Most of the lists were estimated within a June-to-June scoring period, except for 1999–2000 and 2021 onwards when a calendar year period was used instead.[5][6][7]

U2 became the annual highest-paid musician five times, more than any other act. They were also the highest-paid music group in a record eight different years. Michael Jackson became the first musician to earn over $100 million in a year (1989),[8] and has become the highest-paid male soloist a record seven times. Dr. Dre currently holds the record for the highest annual earnings for a musician, collecting $620 million in 2014, mainly through the sales of his headphone-manufacturing company, Beats Electronics.[9]

Madonna is the first woman in music to earn $100 million for a year (2009) and has become the highest-paid female musician a record 11 times. Taylor Swift remains the female musician with the highest official annual earnings ever with $185 million in 2019, breaking the previous record set by herself in 2016 with $170 million.

Highest-paid musicians by year

Key
*
 Indicates the year's highest-paid celebrity (all fields of entertainment)
Highest-paid musicians of the year
Year Musician Nationality Earnings Adjusted earnings
(in 2025 dollar) 		Ref.
1987 Bruce Springsteen United States $56 million $159 million [10]
1988 Michael Jackson * United States $97 million $264 million [11]
1989 Michael Jackson * United States $125 million $325 million [12]
1990 Michael Jackson United States $100 million $246 million [13]
1991 New Kids on the Block * United States $115 million $272 million [14]
1992 New Kids on the Block United States $62 million $142 million [15]
1993 Guns N' Roses United States $53 million $118 million [16]
1994 Pink Floyd United Kingdom $62 million $135 million [17]
1995 The Beatles United Kingdom $130 million $275 million [18]
1996 The Beatles United Kingdom $130 million $267 million [19]
1997 The Beatles United Kingdom $98 million $197 million [20]
1998 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $57 million $113 million [21]
1999 Backstreet Boys United States $60 million $116 million [22]
2000 The Beatles United Kingdom $70 million $127 million [23]
2001 Unpublished[a]
2002 U2 Ireland $69 million $124 million [24]
2003 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $66.5 million $116 million [25]
2004 Bruce Springsteen United States $64 million $109 million [26]
2005 Madonna United States $50 million $82 million [27]
2006 U2 Ireland $110 million $176 million [28]
2007 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $110 million $171 million [29]
2008 The Police United Kingdom $115 million $172 million [30]
2009 Madonna United States $110 million $165 million [31]
2010 U2 Ireland $130 million $192 million [32]
2011 U2 Ireland $195 million $279 million [33]
2012 Dr. Dre United States $110 million $154 million [34]
2013 Madonna * United States $125 million $173 million [35]
2014 Dr. Dre * United States $620 million $843 million [36]
2015 Katy Perry United States $135 million $183 million [37]
2016 Taylor Swift * United States $170 million $228 million [3]
2017 Diddy * United States $130 million $171 million [38]
2018 U2 Ireland $118 million $151 million [39]
2019 Taylor Swift * United States $185 million $233 million [4]
2020 Kanye West United States $170 million $211 million [40]
2021 Bruce Springsteen United States $435 million $517 million [7]
2022 Genesis United Kingdom $230 million $253 million [41]
2023 Unpublished
2024 Unpublished
2025 The Weeknd Canada $298 million $306 million [42]

Group

Highest-paid music groups of the year
Year Music group Nationality Earnings Adjusted earnings
(in 2025 dollar) 		Ref.
1987 U2 Ireland $37 million $105 million [10]
1988 U2 Ireland $42 million $114 million [11]
1989 Pink Floyd United Kingdom $56 million $145 million [12]
1990 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $88 million $217 million [13]
1991 New Kids on the Block * United States $115 million $272 million [14]
1992 New Kids on the Block United States $62 million $142 million [15]
1993 Guns N' Roses United States $53 million $118 million [16]
1994 Pink Floyd United Kingdom $62 million $135 million [17]
1995 The Beatles United Kingdom $130 million $275 million [18]
1996 The Beatles United Kingdom $130 million $267 million [19]
1997 The Beatles United Kingdom $98 million $197 million [20]
1998 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $57 million $113 million [21]
1999 Backstreet Boys United States $60 million $116 million [22]
2000 The Beatles United Kingdom $70 million $127 million [23]
2001 Unpublished[a]
2002 U2 Ireland $69 million $124 million [24]
2003 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $66.5 million $116 million [25]
2004 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $51 million $87 million [26]
2005 Eagles United States $45 million $74 million [27]
2006 U2 Ireland $110 million $176 million [28]
2007 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom $110 million $171 million [29]
2008 The Police United Kingdom $115 million $172 million [30]
2009 Coldplay United Kingdom $70 million $105 million [31]
2010 U2 Ireland $130 million $192 million [32]
2011 U2 Ireland $195 million $279 million [33]
2012 U2 Ireland $78 million $109 million [34]
2013 Bon Jovi United States $79 million $109 million [35]
2014 Eagles United States $100 million $136 million [36]
2015 One Direction United Kingdom / Ireland $130 million $177 million [37]
2016 One Direction United Kingdom / Ireland $110 million $148 million [3]
2017 Coldplay United Kingdom $88 million $116 million [38]
2018 U2 Ireland $118 million $147 million [39]
2019 Eagles United States $100 million $126 million [4]
2020 Jonas Brothers United States $68.5 million $85 million [40]
2021 Red Hot Chili Peppers United States $116 million $138 million [7]
2022 Genesis United Kingdom $230 million $253 million [41]
2023 Unpublished
2024 Unpublished
2025 Coldplay United Kingdom $105 million $108 million [42]

Male

Highest-paid male solo musicians of the year
Year Musician Nationality Earnings Adjusted earnings
(in 2025 dollar) 		Ref.
1987 Bruce Springsteen United States $56 million $159 million [10]
1988 Michael Jackson * United States $97 million $264 million [11]
1989 Michael Jackson * United States $125 million $325 million [12]
1990 Michael Jackson United States $100 million $246 million [13]
1991 Michael Jackson United States $60 million $142 million [14]
1992 Michael Jackson United States $51 million $117 million [15]
1993 Prince United States $49 million $109 million [16]
1994 Garth Brooks United States $41 million $89 million [17]
1995 Michael Jackson United States $67 million $142 million [18]
1996 Michael Jackson United States $90 million $185 million [19]
1997 David Bowie United Kingdom $63 million $126 million [20]
1998 Master P United States $56.5 million $112 million [21]
1999 Lou Bega[b] Germany $6 million $12 million [22]
2000 Dr. Dre United States $35 million $64 million [23]
2001 Unpublished[a]
2002 Elton John United Kingdom $30 million $54 million [44]
2003 Paul McCartney United Kingdom $59 million $103 million [25]
2004 Bruce Springsteen United States $64 million $109 million [26]
2005 Prince United States $49.7 million $82 million [27]
2006 Bruce Springsteen United States $55 million $88 million [28]
2007 Elton John United Kingdom $53 million $82 million [29]
2008 Toby Keith United States $48 million $72 million [30]
2009 Bruce Springsteen United States $70 million $105 million [31]
2010 Bruce Springsteen United States $70 million $103 million [32]
2011 Elton John United Kingdom $100 million $143 million [33]
2012 Dr. Dre United States $110 million $154 million [34]
2013 Toby Keith United States $65 million $90 million [35]
2014 Dr. Dre * United States $620 million $843 million [36]
2015 Garth Brooks United States $90 million $122 million [37]
2016 Garth Brooks United States $70 million $94 million [45]
2017 Diddy * United States $130 million $171 million [38]
2018 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom $110 million $141 million [39]
2019 Kanye West United States $150 million $189 million [4]
2020 Kanye West United States $170 million $211 million [40]
2021 Bruce Springsteen United States $435 million $517 million [7]
2022 Sting United Kingdom $210 million $231 million [41]
2023 Unpublished
2024 Unpublished
2025 The Weeknd Canada $298 million $306 million [42]

Female

Highest-paid female musicians of the year
Year Musician Nationality Earnings Adjusted earnings
(in 2025 dollar) 		Ref.
1987 Madonna United States $47 million $133 million [10]
1988 Madonna United States $46 million $125 million [11]
1989 Madonna United States $43 million $112 million [12]
1990 Madonna United States $62 million $153 million [13]
1991 Madonna United States $63 million $149 million [14]
1992 Madonna United States $48 million $110 million [15]
1993 Madonna United States $37 million $82 million [16]
1994 Barbra Streisand United States $57 million $124 million [17]
1995 Barbra Streisand United States $63 million $133 million [18]
1996 Mariah Carey United States $32 million $66 million [19]
1997 Celine Dion Canada $65 million $130 million [20]
1998 Celine Dion Canada $55.5 million $110 million [21]
1999 Shania Twain Canada $48 million $93 million [22]
2000 Britney Spears United States $38.5 million $70 million [23]
2001 Unpublished[a]
2002 Mariah Carey United States $58 million $104 million [24]
2003 Cher United States $33.1 million $58 million [25]
2004 Celine Dion Canada $28 million[c] $48 million [26]
2005 Madonna United States $50 million $82 million [27]
2006 Celine Dion Canada $40 million $64 million [28]
2007 Madonna United States $72 million $112 million [29]
2008 Beyoncé United States $80 million $120 million [30]
2009 Madonna United States $110 million $165 million [31]
2010 Beyoncé United States $87 million $128 million [32]
2011 Lady Gaga United States $90 million $129 million [33]
2012 Britney Spears United States $58 million $81 million [34]
2013 Madonna * United States $125 million $173 million [35]
2014 Beyoncé United States $115 million $156 million [36]
2015 Katy Perry United States $135 million $183 million [37]
2016 Taylor Swift * United States $170 million $228 million [3]
2017 Beyoncé United States $105 million $138 million [38]
2018 Katy Perry United States $83 million $106 million [39]
2019 Taylor Swift * United States $185 million $233 million [4]
2020 Ariana Grande United States $72 million $90 million [40]
2021 Taylor Swift United States $52 million $62 million [7]
2022 Taylor Swift United States $92 million $101 million [41]
2023 Unpublished
2024 Unpublished
2025 Taylor Swift United States $202 million $207 million [42]

Highest-paid musicians by decade

2010s

Top 10 highest-paid musicians of the 2010s decade[48]
Rank Musician Nationality Earnings Adjusted earnings
(in 2025 dollar)
1 Dr. Dre United States $950 million $1,196 million
2 Taylor Swift United States $825 million $1,039 million
3 Beyoncé United States $685 million $863 million
4 U2 Ireland $675 million $850 million
5 Diddy United States $605 million $762 million
6 Elton John United Kingdom $565 million $711 million
7 Jay-Z United States $560 million $705 million
8 Paul McCartney United Kingdom $535 million $674 million
9 Katy Perry United States $530 million $667 million
10 Lady Gaga United States $500 million $630 million

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Forbes published the Celebrity 100 list in 2001. However, the earnings used to calculate the list was from calendar year 2000.[23]
  2. ^ Male soloists were largely absent in 1999. Lou Bega was only ranked 76th on the overall celebrity earnings list.[43]
  3. ^ Although Forbes listed Celine Dion and Cher each with rounded earnings of $28 million in 2004, the former was ranked higher than the latter.[46][47]

References

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  2. ^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (December 4, 2018). "The World's Highest-Paid Musicians Of 2018". Forbes. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Taylor Swift Is Officially the Highest-Paid Musician in the World". Fortune. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e 06:30am EST. "The World's Top-Earning Musicians Of 2019". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 21, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2001". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Highest-Paid Entertainers 2022". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  8. ^ McAleer 1991, p. 82
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  10. ^ a b c d "Of the Show Biz Rich, Bill Cosby Is Top Star". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 1987. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d "A NEW, OLD LOOK FOR THE RIVIERA – Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. September 22, 1988. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d Barty, Billy (November 30, 1989). "Tickertape: Million Dollar Bash" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
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  14. ^ a b c d "Forbes Magazine's Highest-Paid Entertainers With AM-Richest Entertainers". Associated Press. September 15, 1991. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
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  35. ^ a b c d "Madonna named highest-earning musician in 2013". the Guardian. November 21, 2013. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  36. ^ a b c d "Dr. Dre is Forbes' top-earning 2014 musician". San Diego Union-Tribune. December 11, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c d Greenburg, Zack O'Malley. "The World's Highest-Paid Musicians Of 2015". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  38. ^ a b c d Penrose, Nerisha (December 7, 2017). "Diddy, Beyonce, & Drake Top Forbes' Highest-Paid Musicians of 2017 List". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
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  42. ^ a b c d "The Highest-Paid Musicians of 2025". Forbes. December 30, 2025. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  43. ^ "Forbes.com: Forbes Celebrity 100 2000". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 20, 2001. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  44. ^ "Forbes Celebrity 100 2002". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
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  46. ^ "Celine Dion > Pay Rank 35". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  47. ^ "Cher > Pay Rank 42". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  48. ^ "From Taylor Swift To Dr. Dre: The 10 Top-Earning Musicians Of The Decade". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
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