Forbes list of the world's highest-paid musicians

The highest-paid musicians^[1]^[2]^[3] in the world have been reported annually by Forbes since at least 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, 2021, and 2022 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 2024 dollar)	Ref.
1987	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$56 million	$155 million	^[10]^[11]
1988	Michael Jackson *	United States	$97 million	$258 million	^[12]^[13]
1989	Michael Jackson *	United States	$125 million	$317 million	^[14]^[15]
1990	Michael Jackson	United States	$100 million	$241 million	^[16]
1991	New Kids on the Block *	United States	$115 million	$265 million	^[17]^[18]
1992	New Kids on the Block	United States	$62 million	$139 million	^[19]
1993	Guns N' Roses	United States	$53 million	$115 million	^[20]^[21]
1994	Pink Floyd	United Kingdom	$62 million	$132 million	^[22]^[23]
1995	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$130 million	$268 million	^[24]
1996	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$130 million	$261 million	^[25]
1997	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$98 million	$192 million	^[26]
1998	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$57 million	$110 million	^[27]
1999	Backstreet Boys	United States	$60 million	$113 million	^[28]
2001	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$70 million	$124 million	^[29]
2002	U2	Ireland	$69 million	$121 million	^[30]
2003	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$66.5 million	$114 million	^[31]
2004	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$64 million	$107 million	^[32]
2005	Madonna	United States	$50 million	$80 million	^[33]
2006	U2	Ireland	$110 million	$172 million	^[34]
2007	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$110 million	$167 million	^[35]
2008	The Police	United Kingdom	$115 million	$168 million	^[36]
2009	Madonna	United States	$110 million	$161 million	^[37]
2010	U2	Ireland	$130 million	$187 million	^[38]
2011	U2	Ireland	$195 million	$273 million	^[39]
2012	Dr. Dre	United States	$110 million	$151 million	^[40]
2013	Madonna *	United States	$125 million	$169 million	^[41]
2014	Dr. Dre *	United States	$620 million	$824 million	^[42]
2015	Katy Perry	United States	$135 million	$179 million	^[43]
2016	Taylor Swift *	United States	$170 million	$223 million	^[3]
2017	Diddy *	United States	$130 million	$167 million	^[44]
2018	U2	Ireland	$118 million	$148 million	^[45]
2019	Taylor Swift *	United States	$185 million	$228 million	^[4]
2020	Kanye West	United States	$170 million	$207 million	^[46]
2021	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$435 million	$505 million	^[7]
2022	Genesis	United Kingdom	$230 million	$247 million	^[47]

Group

Highest-paid music groups of the year
Year	Music group	Nationality	Earnings	Adjusted earnings (in 2024 dollar)	Ref.
1987	U2	Ireland	$37 million	$102 million	^[10]^[11]
1988	U2	Ireland	$42 million	$112 million	^[12]^[13]
1989	Pink Floyd	United Kingdom	$56 million	$142 million	^[14]^[15]
1990	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$88 million	$212 million	^[16]
1991	New Kids on the Block *	United States	$115 million	$265 million	^[17]^[18]
1992	New Kids on the Block	United States	$62 million	$139 million	^[19]
1993	Guns N' Roses	United States	$53 million	$115 million	^[20]^[21]
1994	Pink Floyd	United Kingdom	$62 million	$132 million	^[22]^[23]
1995	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$130 million	$268 million	^[24]
1996	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$130 million	$261 million	^[25]
1997	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$98 million	$192 million	^[26]
1998	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$57 million	$110 million	^[27]
1999	Backstreet Boys	United States	$60 million	$113 million	^[28]
2001	The Beatles	United Kingdom	$70 million	$124 million	^[29]
2002	U2	Ireland	$69 million	$121 million	^[30]
2003	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$66.5 million	$114 million	^[31]
2004	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$51 million	$85 million	^[32]
2005	Eagles	United States	$45 million	$72 million	^[33]
2006	U2	Ireland	$110 million	$172 million	^[34]
2007	The Rolling Stones	United Kingdom	$110 million	$167 million	^[35]
2008	The Police	United Kingdom	$115 million	$168 million	^[36]
2009	Rascal Flatts	United States	$60 million	$88 million	^[37]
2010	U2	Ireland	$130 million	$187 million	^[38]
2011	U2	Ireland	$195 million	$273 million	^[39]
2012	U2	Ireland	$78 million	$107 million	^[40]
2013	Bon Jovi	United States	$79 million	$107 million	^[41]
2014	Eagles	United States	$100 million	$133 million	^[42]
2015	One Direction	United Kingdom / Ireland	$130 million	$172 million	^[43]
2016	One Direction	United Kingdom / Ireland	$110 million	$144 million	^[3]
2017	Coldplay	United Kingdom	$88 million	$113 million	^[44]
2018	U2	Ireland	$118 million	$147 million	^[45]
2019	Eagles	United States	$100 million	$123 million	^[4]
2020	Jonas Brothers	United States	$68.5 million	$83 million	^[46]
2021	Red Hot Chili Peppers	United States	$116 million	$135 million	^[7]
2022	Genesis	United Kingdom	$230 million	$247 million	^[47]

Male

Highest-paid male solo musicians of the year
Year	Musician	Nationality	Earnings	Adjusted earnings (in 2024 dollar)	Ref.
1987	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$56 million	$155 million	^[10]^[11]
1988	Michael Jackson *	United States	$97 million	$258 million	^[12]
1989	Michael Jackson *	United States	$125 million	$317 million	^[14]^[15]
1990	Michael Jackson	United States	$100 million	$241 million	^[16]
1991	Michael Jackson	United States	$60 million	$139 million	^[17]^[18]
1992	Michael Jackson	United States	$51 million	$114 million	^[19]
1993	Prince	United States	$49 million	$107 million	^[20]^[21]
1994	Garth Brooks	United States	$41 million	$87 million	^[22]^[23]
1995	Michael Jackson	United States	$67 million	$138 million	^[24]
1996	Michael Jackson	United States	$90 million	$180 million	^[25]
1997	David Bowie	United Kingdom	$63 million	$123 million	^[26]
1998	Master P	United States	$56.5 million	$109 million	^[27]
1999	Lou Bega^[a]	Germany	$6 million	$11 million	^[28]
2001	Dr. Dre	United States	$35 million	$62 million	^[29]
2002	Elton John	United Kingdom	$30 million	$52 million	^[49]
2003	Paul McCartney	United Kingdom	$59 million	$101 million	^[31]
2004	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$64 million	$107 million	^[32]
2005	Prince	United States	$49.7 million	$80 million	^[33]
2006	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$55 million	$86 million	^[34]
2007	Elton John	United Kingdom	$53 million	$80 million	^[35]
2008	Toby Keith	United States	$48 million	$70 million	^[36]
2009	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$70 million	$103 million	^[37]
2010	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$70 million	$101 million	^[38]
2011	Elton John	United Kingdom	$100 million	$140 million	^[39]
2012	Dr. Dre	United States	$110 million	$151 million	^[40]
2013	Toby Keith	United States	$65 million	$88 million	^[41]
2014	Dr. Dre *	United States	$620 million	$824 million	^[42]
2015	Garth Brooks	United States	$90 million	$119 million	^[43]
2016	Garth Brooks	United States	$70 million	$92 million	^[50]
2017	Diddy *	United States	$130 million	$167 million	^[44]
2018	Ed Sheeran	United Kingdom	$110 million	$138 million	^[45]
2019	Kanye West	United States	$150 million	$184 million	^[4]
2020	Kanye West	United States	$170 million	$207 million	^[46]
2021	Bruce Springsteen	United States	$435 million	$505 million	^[7]
2022	Sting	United Kingdom	$210 million	$226 million	^[47]

Female

Highest-paid female musicians of the year
Year	Musician	Nationality	Earnings	Adjusted earnings (in 2024 dollar)	Ref.
1987	Madonna	United States	$47 million	$130 million	^[10]^[11]
1988	Madonna	United States	$46 million	$122 million	^[12]^[13]
1989	Madonna	United States	$43 million	$109 million	^[14]^[51]
1990	Madonna	United States	$62 million	$149 million	^[16]
1991	Madonna	United States	$63 million	$145 million	^[17]^[18]
1992	Madonna	United States	$48 million	$108 million	^[19]
1993	Madonna	United States	$37 million	$81 million	^[20]^[21]
1994	Barbra Streisand	United States	$57 million	$121 million	^[22]^[23]
1995	Barbra Streisand	United States	$63 million	$130 million	^[24]
1996	Mariah Carey	United States	$32 million	$64 million	^[25]
1997	Celine Dion	Canada	$65 million	$127 million	^[26]
1998	Celine Dion	Canada	$55.5 million	$107 million	^[27]
1999	Shania Twain	Canada	$48 million	$91 million	^[28]
2001	Britney Spears	United States	$38.5 million	$68 million	^[29]
2002	Mariah Carey	United States	$58 million	$101 million	^[30]
2003	Cher	United States	$33.1 million	$57 million	^[31]
2004	Celine Dion	Canada	$28 million^[b]	$47 million	^[32]
2005	Madonna	United States	$50 million	$80 million	^[33]
2006	Celine Dion	Canada	$40 million	$62 million	^[34]
2007	Madonna	United States	$72 million	$109 million	^[35]
2008	Beyoncé	United States	$80 million	$117 million	^[36]
2009	Madonna	United States	$110 million	$161 million	^[37]
2010	Beyoncé	United States	$87 million	$125 million	^[38]
2011	Lady Gaga	United States	$90 million	$126 million	^[39]
2012	Britney Spears	United States	$58 million	$79 million	^[40]
2013	Madonna *	United States	$125 million	$169 million	^[41]
2014	Beyoncé	United States	$115 million	$153 million	^[42]
2015	Katy Perry	United States	$135 million	$179 million	^[43]
2016	Taylor Swift *	United States	$170 million	$223 million	^[3]
2017	Beyoncé	United States	$105 million	$135 million	^[44]
2018	Katy Perry	United States	$83 million	$104 million	^[45]
2019	Taylor Swift *	United States	$185 million	$228 million	^[4]
2020	Ariana Grande	United States	$72 million	$87 million	^[46]
2021	Taylor Swift	United States	$52 million	$60 million	^[7]
2022	Taylor Swift	United States	$92 million	$99 million	^[47]

Highest-paid musicians by decade

2010s

Top 10 highest-paid musicians of the 2010s decade^[54]
Rank	Musician	Nationality	Earnings	Adjusted earnings (in 2024 dollar)
1	Dr. Dre	United States	$950 million	$1,168 million
2	Taylor Swift	United States	$825 million	$1,015 million
3	Beyoncé	United States	$685 million	$842 million
4	U2	Ireland	$675 million	$830 million
5	Diddy	United States	$605 million	$744 million
6	Elton John	United Kingdom	$565 million	$695 million
7	Jay-Z	United States	$560 million	$689 million
8	Paul McCartney	United Kingdom	$535 million	$658 million
9	Katy Perry	United States	$530 million	$652 million
10	Lady Gaga	United States	$500 million	$615 million

Notes

^ Male soloists were largely absent in 1999. Lou Bega was only ranked 76th on the overall celebrity earnings list.^[48]
^ Although Forbes listed Celine Dion and Cher each with rounded earnings of $28 million in 2004, the former was ranked higher than the latter.^[52]^[53]

References

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Print sources

McAleer, Dave (1991). Chart Beats. Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0851129641.
Glenday, Craig (2015). Guinness World Records 2015. Guinness Publishing.

[49] Male soloists were largely absent in 1999. Lou Bega was only ranked 76th on the overall celebrity earnings list.^[48]

[55] Although Forbes listed Celine Dion and Cher each with rounded earnings of $28 million in 2004, the former was ranked higher than the latter.^[52]^[53]

[1] Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (June 15, 2011). "The World's Highest-Paid Musicians 2011". Forbes. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

[2] Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (December 4, 2018). "The World's Highest-Paid Musicians Of 2018". Forbes. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

[2016data-3] "Taylor Swift Is Officially the Highest-Paid Musician in the World". Fortune. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[2019data-4] 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.

[2021data-7] "The Highest-Paid Entertainers 2022". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.

[McAleer-8] McAleer 1991, p. 82

[9] "Highest annual earnings for a musician ever". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[1987data-10] "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.

[Forbes87-11] Winship, Frederick M. (September 6, 1987). "Bill Cosby tops list of highest paid entertainers". United Press International (UPI). Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1988data-12] "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.

[Forbes88-13] "Michael Jackson tops list of best-paid entertainers". United Press International (UPI). September 18, 1988. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1989data-14] Barty, Billy (November 30, 1989). "Tickertape: Million Dollar Bash" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[Forbes89-15] "Michael Jackson tops Forbes's 'richest stars' list again". United Press International (UPI). September 16, 1989. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1990data-16] "Forbes Magazine's Highest-Paid Entertainers With PM-Richest Entertainers". Associated Press. September 17, 1990. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1991data-17] "High Life: A Weekly Forum for High School Students: Foothill Teen Wins Poster Prize". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1991. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[Forbes91-18] "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.

[1992data-19] "Forbes Magazine's 40 Richest Entertainers With AM-Richest Entertainers". Associated Press. September 13, 1992. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[1993data-20] "Talking Pays Big, Puts Oprah at Top of Earnings List". September 13, 1993. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[Forbes9293-21] "Oprah Tops Forbes List of Highest Grossing Celebs: CELEBRITIES (List Top 25)". Jet. September 27, 1993. p. 13. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2022.

[1994data-22] "Spielberg Is Top-Paid Entertaier; Syrupy Barney Rings in at No. 3". Deseret News. September 12, 1994. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[Forbes94-23] "Spielberg tops Forbes list". United Press International (UPI). September 11, 1994. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

[1995data-24] "Beatles In The Money Again, Forbes Says Band Earned Third Most Money, Behind Steven Spielberg, Oprah | The Spokesman-Review". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.

[1996data-25] Gerhart, Ann (September 9, 1996). "Yoga Teacher Makes Peace In Cleveland Park". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

[1997data-26] "In the money". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

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Forbes list of the world's highest-paid musicians

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