"Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave... All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes."
Music is a language, an emotion that everyone understands and enjoys irrespective of the language they speak. It is indeed a universal phenomenon that makes the world a better place to live in.
With so many genres and languages, there are hordes of wonderfully gifted musicians that have entertained us for years. Some of these are good enough in their job to have earned a fortune from their music.
This article will provide insights into the following topics:
- World's Highest-paid musicians of all time
- Richest musician in the world
- Forbes world's highest-paid musicians 2020
- Forbes richest musicians 2020
- Who is the highest paid musician of all time?
Following is the list of highest-paid musicians from all across the globe in the year 2020.
Kanye West: $241 million
This 43-year-old American rapper, record producer and fashion designer became the second-highest-paid celebrity in the world after his deal with Adidas for his sneaker brand Yeezy.
Since the success of his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, West has released more than 20 million albums and 140 million singles which have been sold worldwide. He is also most awarded artists of all time with 21 Grammys in his bag.
Elton John: $113 million
The English singer, songwriter, pianist and composer has sold more than 300 million records. He has been lauded with many awards including Grammys, Brit awards, Oscar and has been an inductee of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1994. The following year, he was also awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He has appeared in many movies like Kingman: The Golden Circle. His Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in 2019 reportedly fetched him $212 million.
Ariana Grande: $103 million
This 27-year-old diva started her career at the age of 15 with a Broadway musical, followed by roles in Nickelodeon television series Victorious and Sam & Cat. Then came her music debut, a pop and R&B album, Yours Truly in 2013 which topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
She is famous for her wide vocal range and has received many awards throughout her career including Grammy, Brit and Billboard Music Awards. She is also the most-listened-to female artist in Spotify and Apple Music. She has appeared in many times in 100 most influential and highest-paid women in music lists. Her 2019 World Tour grossed $146 million.
Jonas Brothers: $97.7 million
The three brothers band had split in 2013 after having sold 17 million albums but then again reunited last year with the release Sucker which topped the Billboard Hot 100. August of last year they also began with Happiness Begins Tour to promote their fifth studio album, which ended in February 2020 making little less than a hundred million dollars. During early years, they also starred in many Disney movies like Camp Rock.
Chainsmokers: $97 million
First achieved international fame for their 2014 song Selfie which enjoyed a position in top singles in several countries. The fray of songs that followed- Don't let me down, Closer, Collage and Sick Boy also ruled the Billboard charts. The electronic DJ duo had been on two concert tours since 2017 which made them topple Calvin Harris after six years and became highest-paid Dj's in the world.
Ed Sheeran: $91 million
This English singer-songwriter first released his album in 2011 which topped UK Albums chart and contained the hit single The A-Team. His second album multiply (*) won album of the Year in 2015, and its single Thinking Out Loud brought him two Grammys in 2016. The shape of you & Castle on the hill was at US top 10 same weeks, and he was termed Global Recording Artist of the Year in 2017. He has sold 150 million records worldwide till now and is the second most-streamed artist of the decade by Spotify. He has been in three record tours till now with latest one having ended last year in August in England.
Taylor Swift: $90 million
Her self-titled debut album released in 2006 was the longest-charting album and was followed by Fearless in 2008 which won her a Grammy and became Album of the Year. She has claimed several awards and has also been called Woman of the decade and Artist of the Decade (the 2010s). She has appeared in a few movies with the latest being Miss Americana, a documentary based on her career.
Post Malone: $85.6 million
Austin Richard Post or as professionally known Post Malone became known in 2015 with the release of White Iverson. His debut album broke the records for most weeks on US Billboards Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums, and it contained his single hit Congratulations. His top singles Psycho & Rockstar earned him a Grammys nomination. His third concert tour, Runaway tour which started last year in September reportedly fetched him around $1.3 million per city before it had to be shut down due to the pandemic.
Rolling Stones: $84 million
This English band formed fifty-eight years ago in London became a pioneer in Hard rock. They have won three Grammy awards and a lifetime achievement award and were also inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and UK Music Hall of Fame. With 30 released studio albums and 23 live albums, they have estimated record sales of 240 million.
Marshmello: $79.9 million
Christopher Comstock is an American EDM producer and DJ and better known with his stage name Marshmello. He has many singles which are certified multiplatinum in several countries and include songs like 'Silence', 'Wolves', 'Alone' etc. and have appeared in TOP 30 in Billboard Hot 100. 'Happier', his highest-charting single was a collaboration with Band Bastille and was released in August 2018. In 2017 , he reached eight places for World's highest-paid DJ's.
Sean Combs: $55 million
Sean Combs, better known as P.Diddy, Puffy or Puff Daddy is a rapper, singer, songwriter and founder of the record label, Bad Boy Entertainment. No Way Out, a certified seven times platinum was his debut album and was followed by hit albums- Forever, Saga Continues, Press Play. Three Grammy awards winner has also produced MTV's Making the Band.
He also ventured into business with his clothing line, Sean John and partnership with Diageo's Ciroc vodka.
Shawn Mendes: $54.5 million
The 22-year old Canadian singer-songwriter started gaining popularity through Vine videos and was later signed by a record label. Since then, there was no stepping back. He has released three studio albums and done three world tours. His 2015 song 'Stitches' from album Handwritten reached number 1 in the UK and top 10 in US and Canada. He won many awards including Grammy, Juno, MTV Europe Music Awards and American Music Awards. He grossed $87 million on tour in 2019.
Jay-Z: $53.5 million
He is often regarded as one of the most influential Hip Hop artists and the greatest rappers of all times. He began his music career with his debut album Reasonable Doubt and since then released 12 more albums including the popular Blueprint, The Black Album, American Gangster and 4:44. He founded record label Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995, clothing Retailer – Rocawear in 1999 and luxury sports bar chain 40/40 club in 2013.
He has sold over 50 million albums and 75 million singles till date.
Billie Eilish: $53 million
Billie Eilish first got popular for the song 'Ocean Eyes' which was written and produced by her brother Finneas. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, her debut album became best performing album in 2019 in the US and UK. She won five Grammys, making her the youngest person and second person ever to win four main Grammy categories.
BTS: $50 million
Bangtan Sonyeondan also known as the BTS, is a South Korean boy band consisting of 7 member -RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The group debuted in the year 2013 under the Bighit Entertainment company. Their second studio album Wings was their first to sell a million copies in South Korea. In 2017 they broke into the US Charts with their single 'Mic Drop', and their studio album Love Yourself: Tears becoming the first Korean act to top the US Billboard 200. Their recent tour grossed $170 million in 2019. They allegedly contributed $4.65 billion to the South Korean economy or 0.3 per cent of the country's GDP. The group had also addressed 73rd and the 75th UN general assembly.
Due to the pandemic, many world tours were called off, which could have led to a slightly different list. Anyways, this list is based on their earnings in the year 2020 and is always susceptible to changes. We hope this list might have interested you and found your favourite musicians here.
Co-author: Shreya Arya
A digital marketing enthusiast with experience in HR and hospital management, Shreya has wide interests ranging from philosophy, psychology to latest trends in automation. She is also a freelance content writer and loves lending beautiful words to ideas and feelings.
