As 2025 drew to a close, Forbes released its definitive annual ranking of the world's highest-earning musicians, revealing a staggering collective pre-tax income of nearly $1.9 billion for the industry's elite. This impressive figure underscores the sector's robust growth, powered by massive concert tours, continued dominance in streaming, and strategic sales of music catalogues.
The Weeknd Tops The Global Chart With Historic Earnings
Commanding the number one position is Canadian superstar The Weeknd, with a colossal $298 million in pre-tax earnings. His financial triumph was primarily fuelled by the monumental success of his 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour', which grossed over $1 billion globally. This was supercharged by strong sales and streams of his hit album 'Hurry Up Tomorrow'.
Furthermore, The Weeknd's net worth experienced a seismic shift following a landmark $200 million catalogue deal with Lyric Capital. Crucially, this agreement allowed him to retain creative control over his musical portfolio, setting a new benchmark for artist-led asset management.
Swift and Beyoncé Secure Top Spots as Beyoncé Joins Billionaire Ranks
Pop icon Taylor Swift secured second place with $202 million. Her earnings were driven by the chart-topping sales of her album 'The Life of a Showgirl', a lucrative documentary deal with Disney+, and sustained streams across her extensive catalogue.
In third place, Beyoncé earned $148 million, largely from her revolutionary 'Cowboy Carter Tour'. This tour grossed $407.6 million using an innovative 32-show mini-residency model, making it the highest-grossing country tour in Billboard Boxscore history and the fastest to cross the $400 million mark. It also set a record for the highest single-venue earnings by a female artist at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.
This phenomenal year propelled Beyoncé into the exclusive billionaire club in 2025. She now stands alongside an elite group of musicians with ten-figure net worths, including Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, and her husband, Jay-Z. Her strategic blend of music, fashion with Ivy Park, film, and investments demonstrates a masterful evolution from performer to mogul.
Diverse Genres and Revenue Streams Fill Out The Top Ten
The middle of the list showcased intense competition and diverse revenue strategies across genres. Hip-hop luminary Kendrick Lamar ranked fourth with $109 million. His earnings were boosted by headlining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, which drew 133.5 million viewers, and the success of his album 'GNX' alongside the lucrative 'Grand National Tour' with SZA.
Coldplay and Shakira tied for fifth and sixth place, each earning $105 million. Coldplay's income came from extended legs of their 'Music of the Spheres World Tour', while Shakira's resulted from her highly successful 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour'.
Drake took seventh place with $78 million, maintained by relentless streaming numbers across his catalogue and concert revenue. He finished 2025 as Spotify's most-streamed rapper, breaking his own annual streaming record with over 17.6 billion streams.
Rounding out the top ten were artists exemplifying loyal fanbases and niche dominance. Chris Brown held eighth place with $74 million from his 'Breezy Bowl XX Stadium World Tour'. Country star Zach Bryan secured ninth with $70 million, and global Latin phenomenon Bad Bunny closed the list at tenth with $66 million, earned through massive streaming and a dedicated residency in Puerto Rico.
The Forbes 2025 list highlights a music industry where live events are the primary engine of wealth, but where savvy catalogue deals and unwavering streaming popularity provide critical, sustained revenue. It also reflects a wonderfully diverse landscape, with eight female artists in the overall top earners and a wide mix of genres from pop and hip-hop to country, Latin, and rock, proving that global audiences have an insatiable appetite for musical excellence in all its forms.
