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By Amanda Greenwood
Associate News Editor
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Paul McCartney is the world's third-richest musician, according to Forbes, which estimates his fortune at $1.4 billion.
The former Beatles star sits behind only Jay-Z, whose fortune is estimated at $2.8 billion, and Taylor Swift, who is worth an estimated $2 billion.
His fortune, however, is not solely tied to the songs he recorded with the Beatles. It also includes publishing rights to thousands of compositions by other artists, theatrical works and Christmas songs.
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The Top 7 Richest Musicians, According to Forbes
Based on current Forbes estimates, the billionaire musicians rank as follows:
- Jay-Z: $2.8 billion. His assets include his music catalog, entertainment company Roc Nation, stakes in companies including Block and Uber, and proceeds from his liquor businesses.
- Taylor Swift: $2 billion. Forbes estimates her fortune includes nearly $1 billion accumulated from royalties and touring, a music catalog worth approximately $900 million, and about $100 million in real estate.
- Paul McCartney: $1.4 billion. His wealth includes music catalogs, royalties, touring earnings, property, and an art collection.
- Bruce Springsteen: $1.2 billion. His fortune reflects five decades of recording and touring, as well as the 2021 sale of his music catalog to Sony for $500 million.
- Rihanna: $1 billion. Rihanna's estimated $1 billion fortune comes largely from her cosmetics empire, particularly Fenty Beauty, which she co-owns with luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, according to Forbes.
- Beyoncé Knowles-Carter: $1 billion. Forbes says the majority of her fortune comes from roughly three decades as a solo performer and as a member of Destiny’s Child, including earnings from music sales and touring.
- Dr. Dre: $1 billion. Forbes says his fortune is derived largely from Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, the headphones company he co-founded and which was sold to Apple in 2014 for more than $3 billion in cash and stock.
How Paul McCartney Became a Billionaire
The world's richest musicians have built their fortunes in different ways. McCartney, Springsteen, Beyoncé and Swift earned much of their wealth from songwriting, royalties and touring, while Jay-Z and Dr. Dre supplemented their music careers with business investments. Rihanna, meanwhile, derived much of her fortune from her Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand.
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McCartney’s current wealth is notably different from the financial arrangements of the Beatles’ early career. Forbes reported that the group’s record contract paid them less than a penny for each album sold.
In 1969, shortly before the Beatles broke up, McCartney founded MPL Communications, a music-publishing company that would manage his own work and acquire copyrights to songs by other artists.
He subsequently acquired valuable publishing rights, including the catalog of Buddy Holly, music associated with stage productions such as Grease and Annie, and Christmas songs including “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
McCartney also benefits from the continuing commercial power of the Beatles. The group's holding company, Apple Corps, generates upward of $50 million annually from streaming, vinyl sales and merchandise, according to Forbes. McCartney receives a 25 percent share of its earnings, an income stream the publication values at more than $150 million.
His portion of the Beatles' songwriting copyrights in the United States generates at least $10 million annually and is worth an estimated $200 million or more.
Combined with decades of touring revenue, property and a collection featuring artworks by Pablo Picasso and René Magritte, those assets have helped take McCartney's estimated fortune to $1.4 billion.
What Happens Next
The ranking could shift as Forbes updates its valuations. Music catalogs, private companies and property are not priced continuously in the same way as publicly traded shares, while tours, catalog transactions and changes in business valuations can substantially alter an artist’s estimated wealth.
For now, however, McCartney’s entry into the billionaire ranks places him behind only Jay-Z and Swift among the world’s wealthiest musicians.
Newsweek has contacted Forbes to confirm the identities and estimated fortunes of the seven richest musicians.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Rhian Morgan.
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