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How Forbes measured musicians’ 2025 earnings
Forbes published its ranking on December 30, 2025, and its page records an update on May 19, 2026. The estimates cover December 31, 2024, through December 31, 2025. Forbes describes them as projected estimates, not audited disclosures. Its methodology deducts costs such as label and publisher shares and fees for agents, attorneys, and managers. It excludes income from outside business ventures and draws on Pollstar touring data, Luminate music-sales data, and interviews with industry experts and insiders. Forbes’ ranking and methodology
That distinction matters: a musician’s tour gross is the revenue generated by ticket sales and related activity, not the amount the artist personally earns after costs and splits. Likewise, album-equivalent units measure music consumption, not dollars paid directly to an artist.
The 25 highest-paid musicians of 2025
The amounts below are Forbes’ estimated earnings in U.S. dollars for the period above. Tied amounts share a rank in Forbes’ ordering.
#1 Best Overall
| Rank | Musician or group | Estimated earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Weeknd | $298 million |
| 2 | Taylor Swift | $202 million |
| 3 | Beyoncé | $148 million |
| 4 | Kendrick Lamar | $109 million |
| 5 | Coldplay | $105 million |
| 5 | Shakira | $105 million |
| 7 | Drake | $78 million |
| 8 | Chris Brown | $74 million |
| 9 | Zach Bryan | $70 million |
| 10 | Bad Bunny | $66 million |
| 11 | Post Malone | $62 million |
| 12 | Ed Sheeran | $60 million |
| 13 | Tyler, The Creator | $53 million |
| 14 | Metallica | $53 million |
| 15 | Lady Gaga | $52 million |
| 16 | Billie Eilish | $52 million |
| 17 | Imagine Dragons | $48 million |
| 18 | Dua Lipa | $44 million |
| 19 | Linkin Park | $36 million |
| 20 | SZA | $34 million |
| 21 | Morgan Wallen | $33 million |
| 22 | Bruno Mars | $31 million |
| 23 | Sabrina Carpenter | $29 million |
| 24 | Andrea Bocelli | $25 million |
| 25 | Iron Maiden | $25 million |
Forbes says the 25 acts together earned $1.9 billion, with median earnings of $52 million; it counts eight women and 17 men. Those totals are attributes of Forbes’ estimated ranking, not an independently audited count. Forbes’ list totals
Why the top-ranked artists earned so much
The Weeknd: catalog, album and touring income
Forbes credits The Weeknd’s top position to a catalog arrangement with Lyric Capital, his album Hurry Up Tomorrow, and touring. It estimates he would pocket $200 million after fees from the catalog arrangement and $77 million in profits from more than 40 shows during 2025. The reported $1 billion deal value was a stake sale: he retained a stake in existing masters and creative control, while future recordings were excluded. These deal and tour components help explain the estimate, but should not be confused with the ranking’s total or treated as independently audited figures.
Rank #2
In an April interview while promoting Hurry Up Tomorrow, he discussed possibly moving on from his stage identity: “It felt like I had nothing else to say. I’ve said everything I can say as this person and now it’s time for me to take the next step,” Forbes quoted him as saying.
Taylor Swift: recorded music and a Disney+ deal
Forbes attributes part of Swift’s $202 million estimate to a Disney+ deal for the final Eras Tour show and a six-episode behind-the-scenes series, which it estimates at about $80 million after fees. Luminate measured 14.7 million album-equivalent units across streaming, digital, and physical sales for Swift’s music in 2025, as reported by Forbes. That consumption figure is not an earnings figure.
Beyoncé: a major tour, but gross is not earnings
Forbes estimates Beyoncé’s earnings at $148 million and reports that her 32-show Cowboy Carter Tour grossed $407.6 million. The gross is the tour’s revenue measure; it is not the amount she personally earned.
Other major touring figures
- Kendrick Lamar and SZA: Forbes reports a $358.7 million gross for their Grand National Tour. It ranks them separately at No. 4 and No. 20, respectively.
- Coldplay: Forbes estimates $375 million in 2025 gross for the Music of the Spheres World Tour, while the group’s estimated earnings rank is $105 million.
- Shakira: Forbes estimates her earnings at $105 million and reports $327.4 million in gross revenue for her tour.
These examples show why gross tour figures cannot be substituted for the earnings column: each is a different measure, and Forbes’ methodology accounts for costs and income sources beyond ticket revenue.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
How to read the ranking
- It is a period-specific estimate. The figures apply to December 31, 2024–December 31, 2025, rather than a musician’s career total or wealth at a particular moment.
- It combines different income streams. Touring, recordings, catalog arrangements, and media deals can all contribute, so streaming popularity or tour gross alone does not determine placement.
- It is Forbes’ estimate. Forbes says it uses industry data and interviews, but the figures are not audited artist disclosures.
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