Who are the richest singers in the world? Here is the 2025 ranking of the millionaires of music, a sector that, thanks to the new streaming platforms, does not seem to know crisis.
Who are the richest singers in the world? There does not seem to be a crisis for music, given that the advent of streaming platforms has managed to compensate for the slow decline in album sales, while concerts have now become real shows with ticket prices that have become exorbitant.
According to the Global Music Report 2025 published by IFPI, global revenues of the music industry recorded in 2024 were 29.6 billion dollars, marking an increase of 4.8% compared to the previous year.
Of this large pie, the largest slice is represented by streaming (20.4 billion dollars) - up 4.8% compared to the previous year -, while physical sales of CDs, vinyl, DVDs and more, stopped at 4.8 billion dollars. To complete the picture, there are 2.9 billion dollars for performance rights, 800 million dollars from digital downloads and 600 million from licenses for films or advertising.
It can be said that streaming has saved music, guaranteeing an ever-increasing flow of money that has swelled the bank accounts not only of the highest paid singers, but also those of record companies and related workers.
It is therefore not surprising that four artists are now considered billionaires, that is, with an estimated net worth of more than a billion dollars.
Let’s see the 2025 ranking of the richest singers in the world, with American artists dominating this special ranking unchallenged.
2025 Ranking of the Richest Singers in the World
When talking about the highest paid or richest singers, it is always necessary to start from a fact: in the world of music it is not easy to establish exactly the net worth of an artist, given that it includes income from non-public agreements.
However, authoritative publications such as Forbes and The Sunday Times Rich List have long been trying to do the math of artists from all over the world; based on their estimates it was possible to draw up a 2025 ranking of the richest singers in the world.
- Jay-Z - $2.5 billion*
- Taylor Swift - $1.6 billion
- Rihanna - $1.4 billion
- Bruce Springsteen - $1.1 billion
- Madonna - $850 million
- Dr. Dre - $800 million
- Beyoncé - $760 million
- Julio Iglesias - $600 million
- Céline Dion - $550 million
- Barbra Streisand - $460 million
Source Forbes
Jay-Z is the richest singer in the world, with his billion-dollar fortune that is not the result only of the earnings guaranteed by her artistic activity, but also of wise investments in companies operating in the world of music, fashion and alcohol.
On the contrary, Taylor Swift owes her fortune above all to musical earnings: the combined revenue streams deriving from the sales of physical records, streaming on platforms such as Spotify, digital downloads, licensing and synchronization constitute the earnings that, in 2023 alone, amounted to 92 million dollars.
The third richest singer in the world is Rihanna, strong above all of the earnings guaranteed by her companies in the fashion and cosmetics sector, such as Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty.
If we consider only the men, these are the highest paid and richest singers in the world.
- Jay-Z - $2.5 billion
- Bruce Springsteen - $1.1 billion
- Dr. Dre - $800 million
- Julio Iglesias - $600 million
- Jon Bon Jovi - $410 million
- Kanye West - $400 million
- Sean “Diddy” Combs - $400 million
Here is the ranking of the richest women in music.
- Taylor Swift - $1.6 billion
- Rihanna - $1.4 billion
- Madonna - $850 million
- Beyoncé - $760 million
- Céline Dion - $550 million
- Barbra Streisand - $460 million
- Dolly Parton - $450 million
- Katy Perry - $350 million
- Mariah Carey - $225 million
- Yoko Ono - $150 million.
As you can see in the music world there is not much gender difference, with both male and female singers who have managed to put together millionaire - if not billionaire - fortunes during their careers.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: I cantanti più ricchi al mondo, la classifica 2025
