If you ask a kindergartener what they’d like to be when they grow up, the answer is probably not going to be “data analyst” or “cybersecurity specialist”. Rather, you’ll often hear things like “actor” or “singer”, because we learn to associate those professions with fame and glamorous lifestyles early on.
Another reason is that perhaps many of us don’t even consider those professions “real jobs”, despite the relentless effort and commitment they require — as well as the ton of pressure and stress they can inflict on you.
Today, we’ll be talking about the ones who not only pushed through the various obstacles and made it to stardom — but also earned the most doing it. We present to you the top 10 highest-paid musicians in the world, as identified by celebrity net worth resource TheRichest.
10. Madonna
chrisweger, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $580 million
Madonna Louise Ciccone, who is also known as the “Queen of Pop”, began her music career in 1979 when she successfully auditioned to perform as Patrick Hernandez’s backup singer and dancer. (That’s a French disco artist for anyone who doesn’t know!)
But it wasn’t until 1984 that Madonna became more widely known, when she released her second studio album, Like a Virgin. The album became the first album by a female artist to sell more than 5 million copies in the US.
Since the start of her career, Madonna has recorded 14 studio albums, released 12 No 1 singles and 38 Top 10 singles, and won hundreds of awards including 7 Grammys.
9. Bono
John Hewson, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $730 million
Paul David Hewson, known around the world by his nickname Bono, is the main lyricist and vocalist of rock band U2.
In 1976, 16-year-old Bono and four other students at Mount Temple Comprehensive school formed a band, which was initially named Feedback initially before it changed to The Hype and finally U2 after one of its five original founding members left.
In the mid-1980s, U2 became globally renowned after their performance at the Live Aid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium, which held an audience of 72,000 people. The concert was also televised in 150 countries, with nearly 2 billion viewers tuning in around the globe.
8. Beyoncé
Concert, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $800 million
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (nicknamed “Queen Bey”) requires little introductions. Named one of the greatest vocalists of all time by Rolling Stone, as well as the greatest living entertainer, Beyoncé has sold more than 200 million records worldwide and won hundreds of awards including a staggering 32 Grammys.
But how did it all start? Well, as a child, Beyoncé would participate in various singing and dancing competitions. She was only eight years old when she joined girl group Girls Tyme which would eventually evolve and become the iconic R&B trio Destiny’s Child.
Besides writing and performing music, Beyoncé has also starred in films including The Pink Panther and Austin Powers in Goldmember.
7. Herb Alpert
Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $850 million
Unlike Beyoncé and Madonna, whose names most modern audiences can recognize, Herb Alpert is more well known among jazz enthusiasts. Born in 1935 into a family of musicians, Herb began playing the trumpet at eight years old.
In his early 20s, Herb co-wrote many songs that went on to become Top 20 hits, such as “Wonderful World” and “Baby Talk”. In 1962, he kickstarted his performing career with a song called “Twinkle Star” written by Sol Lake, which Herb took and made his own, renaming it to “The Lonely Bull”.
6. Jimmy Buffett
Steven Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
Net worth: $1 billion
James William Buffett was a singer and songwriter known for his signature tropical rock sound. James showed an interest in music early on, playing the trombone in his school band when he was just eight years old.
During his first year at university in 1965, he learned how to play the guitar to “garner attention from girls”. By 1969, he was holding street performances in New Orleans; a year later, he had released his first album Down to Earth, which only sold just over 300 copies.
It was Buffet’s second album, released in 1973, that included some hit singles that pulled him into the limelight.
5. Sean “Diddy” Combs
Shamsuddin Muhammad from Fort Hood, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $1 billion
Sean Love Combs, known by his stage name Diddy, is a rapper and record producer credited with discovering and developing artists like Usher, Mary J Blige and the Notorious B.I.G.
He worked at Uptown Records between 1990 and 1993 before establishing his own label, Bad Boy Records. In 1996, he released his debut single “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”, under the name Puff Daddy. The single was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 28 weeks, with 6 weeks spent at the very top.
Some of his earnings have also come through acting roles: the rapper played in movies like Girls Trip and Muppets Most Wanted.
4. Taylor Swift
Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Net worth: $1.1 billion
Having sold around 200 million records globally, Taylor Alison Swift is one of the world’s best-selling music artists.
As a child, she took vocal and acting lessons and occasionally performed at a coffee shop in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, where her family owned a vacation home. In 2004, when she was just 14, Taylor Swift became the youngest person to sign a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV.
Just two years later, in 2006, she signed with Big Machine Records and began to steadily amass more fame: her debut studio album released that year was certified double platinum after exceeding 2 million sales.
Her 2023–2024 Eras Tour also broke the record for the highest-grossing tour of all time.
3. Paul McCartney
Jimmy Baikovicius, CA BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
Net worth: $1.2 billion
James Paul McCartney (yes, he does go by his middle name!) learned how to write songs and play the piano and the guitar as a teenager, influenced by his father, who was a jazz player.
In 1957, when he was 15, he joined John Lennon’s group The Quarrymen, which would go on to become The Beatles a few years later. The English rock band gained international stardom in 1964, when they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, a TV variety show that ran on CBS. Many of McCartney’s Beatles songs, including “Yesterday”, are considered to be some of the most iconic songs of all time.
After the group’s breakup in 1970, Paul McCartney and his former bandmates all enjoyed successful solo careers.
2. Rihanna
DoD News, CC PDM 1.0 via Flickr
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Robyn Rihanna Fenty began a music trio with two of her classmates around the age of 15 and auditioned with record producer Evan Rogers — who was mesmerized by her specifically. Impressed by her talent, he helped her record some demos and sent them off to record labels, which eventually got her spotted by rapper Jay-Z. Jay-Z and his team at Def Jam Recordings signed a six-album deal with Rihanna in 2005.
The singer has since won nine Grammys and was cited by Guinness World Records as the best-selling female music artist of the 21st century.
1. Jay-Z
Matthew Harrison, CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr
Net worth: $2.5 billion
Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, has sold around 140 million records, which makes him one of the world’s best-selling artists. He was the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has won 24 Grammys and has also been awarded the NAACP’s President’s Award.
His career began in the late ’80s, although he couldn’t land a deal with any major label for years and was forced to burn and sell CDs out of his car. Then, in the mid-90s, he got his break when he started an independent label called Roc-A-Fella Records and released his debut album Reasonable Doubt (distributed by Priority Records) which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200.
Final thoughts
There we have it: the top 10 highest-paid musicians in the world!
Although it’s easy to look at these celebrities and envy their wealth, the truth is that, undeniably, fame often has a dark side to it. The music industry in particular has long been associated with alcohol and drug abuse, with many talented artists losing the battle against it before even reaching the age of 30. Jim Morisson, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix and Amy Winehouse all “joined” the infamous 27 Club, losing their lives without even making it to 28 years old.
Have any of the entries on this rich list surprised you? Did you expect to see other artists make the cut? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
This article is a complete update of an earlier version originally published on August 31, 2022.