Who are the richest musicians of 2021? These artists made out like bandits for selling their music.
The highest-paid musicians of 2021 brought in a combined $2.3 billion, according to reports. That’s more than double what these artists were making before the COVID-19 pandemic. So with touring out of commission, how did the richest musicians earn their scrap?
Mainly by selling the rights to their music catalogs for huge sums. In fact, of the ten musicians on this list, only Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Taylor Swift did not make the list through catalog sale.
Taylor Swift is the only female to be found in the top ten list. Rolling Stone notes that you have to go to the top fifteen artists to find the next woman, and Stevie Nicks’ $100 million catalog sale in December 2020 makes her miss the cut-off for the 2021 year.
How artists make money since the COVID-19 pandemic has set in has drastically changed, too. Zack O’Malley Greenberg reports that over a dozen acts achieved $100 million gross revenue on the road alone in 2019. In 2020, not a single act achieved that feat, and only one in 2021 – The Rolling Stones.
The Richest Musicians of 2021 – Ranked
10. Taylor Swift – $80 million
9. Blake Shelton – $83 million
8. Mötley Crüe – $95 million
7. Lindsey Buckingham – $100 million
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $145 million
5. Ryan Tedder – $200 million
4. Kanye West – $250 million
3. Paul Simon – $260 million
2. Jay-Z – $470 million
1. Bruce Springsteen – $590 million
These estimates were put together for the calendar year 2021 and reflect pre-tax income. It’s also income before deducting business expenses like managers, agents, lawyers, living expenses, and more.
But it paints a picture that catalog sale has become highly profitable for some of the biggest names in the business. And it’s why financial firms like Hipgnosis are lining up to buy music rights from rockers who are ready to sell for a substantial payout.
I would suggest all these numbers are WRONG! Who the hell knows how much Bruce Springsteen is worth? Who has access to his Bank accounts and his recording and Publishing agreements? And has he recouped all his recording expenses yet? Let’s ask Bruce what he is worth and see how ridiculous these numbers are!
Seeing as how he just sold his catalog, the number makes sense. Do a little research before commenting.
The numbers associated with those selling catalog are accurate, however the numbers associated with rappers are probably inflated.
Rapper wealth is always inflated for ego and posturing. Reality is, those guys are in hock hugely.
All the treasures of the universe are lost if we do not have the health to enjoy them…let us pray these resources mentioned shall be used wisely and not taken for granted. The finite conscious mind is only capable of understanding so much at once, as we progress through this temporal existence in real time, each precious moment is an opportunity for improvement and good maintenance as we build upon our foundations.
People should pray for your whacko mental state.
$!0,000.00 Challenge: Put up or shut up! Kumite in order.
The richest are Hypnosis and any other NWO company that was in on the HOSTILE TAKEOVER! You bought burned out played out music from people who long sold them selves for a dollar! Getting blood from a rock!
Hahahaahha
You All Loose
I just hope Springsteen pays for an Uber to return to his mansion instead of driving drunk and killing innocent children.