Since the advent of streaming services like Spotify, the phenomenon of the rich rock star has dried up significantly. According to LaabelGrid, Spotify pays artists between $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, a pittance compared to what artists used to make when people would buy their records at a store.
Despite the grim financial outlook for many musicians, some artists have still managed to get rich anyway, sometimes to the tune of billions of dollars. Here’s a look at the richest musicians, according to the good people at Celebrity Net Worth.
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10. Beyoncé Knowles
Net worth: $500 million
Singer! Dancer! Philanthropist! Entrepreneur! Is there anything Queen Bey can’t do? Over her long career, she’s gone from strength to strength, permanently silencing any “flash in the pan” talk. And she’s got the $500 million net worth to prove it.
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9. Bono
Net worth: $700 million
The U2 frontman has done quite well for himself with this whole rock star thing, and he has the net worth to prove it. Despite his nine-figure net worth, Bono still makes time for philanthropic activities like aiding famine victims and rescuing lost kitty cats from trees.
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8. Taylor Swift
Net worth: $800 million
Seeing Tay Tay grace this list of high-net-worth musicians is not surprising. The surprise is that she ranks relatively low on the list at a mere $740 million. She’s young, though, and her fans are fiercely loyal, so who knows how much higher that number will be 10 or 20 years from now when she’s a show biz veteran.
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7. Herb Alpert
Net worth: $850 million
Herb Alpert is best known for playing the trumpet with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, but there are other sources of his vast net worth. He was one-half of A&M records (he was the “A” and Jerry Moss was the “M”), which was sold to PolyGram for half a million dollars. They also sold the publishing company Rondor Music for $400 million. The moral of the story is – if you’re short on cash, just sell one of the multi-million dollar companies that you own.
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6. Sean Combs
Net worth: $850 million
Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy, is a rapper, producer, executive, and actor. Some of his net worth derives from his passive income as an investor, but the majority of it still comes from his label, Bad Boy Records.
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5. Madonna
Net worth: $850 million
We don’t know if Madge’s $850 million is all old money from her 1980s hits or new money made in this century from her 2008 “Sticky & Sweet” tour, the second-highest-grossing tour ever. Either way, it’s a lot of money, which should keep the Material Girl in good stead.
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4. Jimmy Buffett
Net worth: $1 billion
Jimmy “Cheeseburger in Paradise” Buffett sadly slipped this mortal coil in September 2023, but his beloved “Parrot Head” fan base will never forget him. They can celebrate the man whenever they want by visiting one of the Margaritaville casinos, hotels, or restaurants owned by Margaritaville Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Cheeseburger Holding Company, LLC. Those service industry establishments are the primary source of his eye-popping net worth.
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3. Paul McCartney
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Former Beatle Paul McCartney is probably one of the less surprising denizens of this list. The Fab Four were phenomenally successful, to say nothing of his work with Wings and as a solo artist. Despite being in his 80s, he is also a regular attraction on the touring circuit, further buttressing his net worth.
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2. Rihanna
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Are you surprised to see Ri-Ri this high on the list, surpassing even the net worth of the dude with all the Margarita hotels? Well, don’t be. Like Buffett, the singer from Barbados is in the billionaires club because of investments she made outside of the music business, such as her Fenty Beauty Line and her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty. For that kind of money, we too would dance at the Super Bowl halftime show while pregnant.
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1. Jay-Z
Net worth: $2 billion
Mr. Beyoncé Knowles, better known as Jay-Z, is the richest musician on earth, and like so many others on this list, much of his net worth comes from outside of his work as a rapper. Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z founded the Rocawear clothing company, the 40/40 Club bar chain, and the Roc Nation entertainment agency.
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