Highest-Paid Musicians Rankings 2026
Snapshot 2026-09-15. Forbes 2025: The Weeknd $298M first; Taylor Swift $202M; Beyoncé $148M. 2026 edition not out.
Snapshot 2026-09-15. The main table uses Forbes’ 2025 highest-paid musicians. The 25 names add up to $1.9 billion, with a $52 million median. The live Forbes page was still that edition on this date; a separate 2026 earnings list had not been published. The Weeknd is first at $298 million. Heat lists sit in the women-singer rankings. Label revenue sits in the music-label rankings.
Forbes 2025 earnings, all 25
The Weeknd’s year was After Hours Til Dawn tour profit plus the Lyric Capital catalog deal. Taylor Swift is second at $202 million, with about $80 million from Disney+. The $360 million buyback of her first six masters is an outlay, not an add-on. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour grossed $407.6 million, and she joined the billionaire list that year. Six names cleared nine figures. Coldplay and Shakira share No. 5 at $105 million; Drake is No. 7. Bands follow millions of dollars: ≥200 S, 100–199 A, 60–99 B, 40–59 C, the rest D.
| # | Artist | Earnings | How it landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Weeknd | $298M | About $77M tour profit; Lyric Capital catalog deal, Forbes estimates $200M after fees |
| 2 | Taylor Swift | $202M | Disney+ deal about $80M; $360M master buyback is an outlay, not added income |
| 3 | Beyoncé | $148M | Cowboy Carter Tour $407.6M gross; joined the billionaire list this year |
| 4 | Kendrick Lamar | $109M | Super Bowl LIX halftime; Grand National Tour $358.7M |
| 5 | Coldplay | $105M | About 50 Spheres dates, ~$375M; tied with Shakira at No. 5 |
| 5 | Shakira | $105M | Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran $327.4M; tied with Coldplay at No. 5 |
| 7 | Drake | $78M | About $30M from two tours; about $50M from the catalog |
| 8 | Chris Brown | $74M | Breezy Bowl XX $285M gross; Forbes estimates about $60M in pocket |
| 9 | Zach Bryan | $70M | Warner publishing/renewal $350M; Forbes estimates about $48M this year |
| 10 | Bad Bunny | $66M | Puerto Rico residency about $40M; Spotify global No. 1, 19.8B streams |
| 11 | Post Malone | $62M | Big Ass Stadium Tour $197.8M; Forbes estimates about $50M profit |
| 12 | Ed Sheeran | $60M | Closed the Mathematics tour, $875.7M career gross |
| 13 | Tyler, The Creator | $53M | Nearly 100 dates, $174.5M tour gross |
| 14 | Metallica | $53M | M72, about 30 stadiums, ~$40M including merch |
| 15 | Lady Gaga | $52M | Mayhem Ball North America already past $100M |
| 16 | Billie Eilish | $52M | Hit Me Hard and Soft, ~70 dates, ~$190M over 12 months |
| 17 | Imagine Dragons | $48M | Loom World Tour, over $200M in 12 months including merch |
| 18 | Dua Lipa | $44M | Radical Optimism tour about $40M |
| 19 | Linkin Park | $36M | From Zero World Tour, 60+ dates, ~$185M |
| 20 | SZA | $34M | More than $20M from the Grand National Tour |
| 21 | Morgan Wallen | $33M | I'm The Problem 493,000 first-week units; ~$24M from 20 stadiums |
| 22 | Bruno Mars | $31M | 19 Park MGM Vegas dates, about $30M including merch |
| 23 | Sabrina Carpenter | $29M | Short N’ Sweet, nearly 40 dates, $1.6M Pollstar average |
| 24 | Andrea Bocelli | $25M | About 50 arena dates, over $20M; only classical name on the list |
| 25 | Iron Maiden | $25M | Run For Your Lives, 70+ dates, ~$150M |
How this list is ranked
Snapshot 2026-09-15. The main table copies all 25 names from Forbes’ Highest-Paid Musicians of 2025 by Martina Di Licosa and Matt Craig, posted 30 December 2025 and updated 19 May 2026. The window is 31 December 2024 to 31 December 2025, with some figures projected. Earnings are pretax. Label and publisher cuts plus agent, attorney and manager fees are already out. Only music work counts; side businesses stay off. Inputs are Pollstar touring, Luminate sales and industry interviews. Bands follow millions of dollars: ≥200 S, 100–199 A, 60–99 B, 40–59 C, the rest D. Coldplay and Shakira share No. 5; the next line is No. 7. A separate 2026 Forbes earnings list had not been published by this date. A recent Billboard Money Makers table did not turn up in search; older 2010s editions stay off the main table. Heat lists: women singers, men singers, rappers, K-Pop, artists overall. Label revenue: music labels. Names: docs/glossaries/music-earnings-2026-glossary.md.
| Source | Snapshot | Basis | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes Highest-Paid Musicians of 2025 | Posted 30 Dec 2025, updated 19 May 2026; this piece 15 Sep 2026 | 25 pretax music totals; $1.9B collective, $52M median; The Weeknd $298M first, Taylor Swift $202M, Beyoncé $148M; six nine-figure names; 8 women, 17 men | Primary |
| Forbes list page | Same story, 19 May 2026 | Same 25-row table as the long piece | Primary (check) |
| IFPI 2025 Global Artist Chart | 18 Feb 2026 | Global album-equivalent units; Taylor Swift sixth win, fourth year running; Stray Kids No. 2 | Support |
| Wikipedia: Global Recording Artist of the Year | Mirrors IFPI 2025 top ten | Confirms the official top ten | Support |
IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025
IFPI posted the 2025 chart on 18 February 2026. It counts streaming, downloads and physical sales as album-equivalent units. Taylor Swift is first for a sixth time and a fourth year running. Stray Kids rise to No. 2. The Weeknd is fourth here and first on the money list. Ranks 11–20: Ariana Grande, Tyler, The Creator, Mrs. GREEN APPLE, SEVENTEEN, Eminem, Linkin Park, Zach Bryan, Ed Sheeran, SZA, Justin Bieber.
| # | Artist |
|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Swift |
| 2 | Stray Kids |
| 3 | Drake |
| 4 | The Weeknd |
| 5 | Bad Bunny |
| 6 | Kendrick Lamar |
| 7 | Morgan Wallen |
| 8 | Sabrina Carpenter |
| 9 | Billie Eilish |
| 10 | Lady Gaga |
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Highest-Paid Musicians Tier List 2026
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