The wealthiest musicians in history built their fortunes far beyond music sales and touring. Here are the ten richest, how they got there, and what separates them from the merely successful.
Rap, Armand de Brignac champagne, D'Ussé cognac, Tidal, real estate, art collection
Jay-Z is the wealthiest hip-hop artist in history. His fortune is built on multiple business ventures — champagne and cognac brands, the Tidal streaming service, real estate, and an art collection valued in the hundreds of millions. Music was the platform; business was the wealth builder.
Music career, Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty lingerie
Rihanna's wealth is primarily from Fenty Beauty, her cosmetics company launched in 2017 with LVMH. Fenty Beauty reached $100 million in sales in its first 40 days — the most successful celebrity beauty launch in history.
Beatles co-founder, solo career, music publisher
McCartney's wealth comes primarily from music publishing. He owns the rights to a vast catalog including many of the world's most-performed songs. Touring revenue from sold-out stadium tours continues to add to his fortune.
Country and pop crossover, Eras Tour, real estate portfolio
Taylor Swift reached billionaire status — the first musician to do so primarily from her music career. The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Her decision to re-record her early albums to regain control of her masters demonstrated rare business savvy.
Musical theater composer, theater chain owner
The composer behind Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Evita owns ongoing royalty rights to some of the most-performed musical theater productions in history. He also owns a chain of West End theaters through Really Useful Group.
A&M Records co-founder, Tijuana Brass
Herb Alpert co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss in 1962, building it into one of the most successful independent labels in history before selling to PolyGram for $500 million in 1989. The label represented The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, and the Police among hundreds of others.
Piano-rock artist, Rocket Records, Las Vegas residencies
Elton John's 50+ year career has generated extraordinary touring revenue. His Las Vegas residencies set records for gross earnings. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was among the highest-grossing in history.
Rap artist, producer, Beats Electronics co-founder
Dr. Dre's fortune was built primarily through Beats by Dre. Apple acquired Beats for $3.2 billion in 2014 — the largest acquisition in Apple's history at that time.
Rolling Stones lead vocalist, songwriter
Six decades of Rolling Stones touring and recording. The Stones are consistently one of the highest-grossing touring acts in the world. Jagger also owns real estate across multiple continents.
Note: Curry is an athlete, not a musician — see our Top Athletes list instead.
The wealthiest musicians share a common trait — music provided the platform and the brand, but the wealth came from business. Publishing rights, brand partnerships, technology companies, and consumer products account for the majority of wealth in most cases.
Net worth figures are estimates from publicly available sources. For informational purposes only.