Music is one of the most competitive fields in the world. Through the years, the music industry has witnessed some of the most admired and loved performers from all over the globe. These great names not only produced several melodious songs but they also earned some good money for their fabulous music. And, let's be honest – music, composing, singing and song-writing are admired in every country. Even each one of us is at least a bathroom singer, isn’t it? Yes! Everybody has an interest in music, no matter what kind of music you like. Let us cast a cursory glance at the music industry and try to list down the highest paid music performers of all time.
Lady Gaga
The American singer Lady Gaga is one of the highest paid female singers in the world. Gaga entered the industry with her debut album ‘The Fame’ including the singles ‘Poker Face’, ‘Just Dance’. Her second album ‘The Fame Monster’ got the same acclamation as the first one. Till 2016, Gaga had sold an estimated 146M singles and 27M albums throughout the world. Gaga’s two songs ‘Poker Face’ and ‘Just Dance’ has passed the 7 million download mark, making her the only artist to achieve this landmark. Her net worth is $275 million.
Elvis Presley
Presley was known as the most significant cultural icon of the 20th century. The King of the Rock and Roll was an American singer and artist born on January 8, 1935. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in 1956 and that was the No.1 hit in the USA. The rock singer won three Grammys and was also honoured by the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award only at the age of 36. According to music historians, Presley was one of the pioneer figures in the development of rockabilly.
Michael Jackson
Without Michael Jackson, you cannot complete any listing or countdown of the music. At his peak, Michael was earning $50 million per year through the 80s and 90s. At that time, Michael signed a $5 million deal with Pepsi (worth $11 million today). The King of the Pop enjoyed a chart-topping career as a solo singer and member of Jackson 5. Michael went on to a solo career of astounding success. He delivered No. 1 hits from the albums Thriller, Off the Wall and Bad. Through the years, Michael remained in the news not only for his music but also for the controversies. But, he’d always be remembered as one of the best music performers in the history.
Elton John
Elton John is one of the most admired British singer, composer and pianist of the 20th century. More than 250 million records have been sold to the date. John started his career in 1970 by releasing a self-titled American album. ‘Philadelphia Freedom’, ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘Crocodile Rock’ is some of his hit tracks that topped the music charts throughout the world. Also, John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and was knighted in 1998. Currently, John is touring the the world yet again, and if you would like to see the performer in his home country, check out Elton John UK tour dates here. The show promises to be amazing, just as always!
Madonna
A few years back, Madonna’s net worth was a whooping $1 billion. Due to her rebellious nature, Madonna was dropped out of the college. On October 1982, her debut single ‘Everybody’ was released. Her biggest hits include ‘Like a Prayer’, ‘Papa Don't Preach’, ‘Vogue’, ‘Secret’ and ‘Ray of Light’, among many others. By 1991, Madonna had sold more than 70 million albums internationally. Despite lots of controversies, she is undoubtedly the Queen of Pop music.
Jennifer Lopez
With a net worth of more than $300 million, Jennifer Lopez is enjoying a successful pop and dance music career. She got tremendous success on pop and dance charts with hit tracks like ‘Play’ and ‘Get Right’. Lopez has also built up her empire by creating a perfume line, clothing line, a Cuban restaurant called Madre’s, not to mention endorsements. In recent years, she is reported to earn $39.5 million per year and it’s escalating each year.
Sir Paul McCartney
He is one of the founding members of the famous Pop band ‘The Beatles’. With a net worth of $1.1 billion, he continues to cash in on his writing credits from his days in The Beatles and, up till this very day, sells out arenas on his tours. McCartney is yet another figure in this list, who achieved not only financial success, but also a knighthood for his music performance.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
With a net worth of $1.2 billion, Webber is perhaps at the top spot. Webber is the backbone of Broadway with writing credits on 13 of the most successful shows including Cats, Evita and The Phantom of the Opera. His musicals have now been running for more than ten years.
In fact, the list is quite long, but we have tried to focus on some of the highest paid singers of the past and the present.
These iconic figures are highest paid in the music field, but there are several reasons behind their success. They have produced high-quality, entertaining, and unique melodies that became eternal. Even the new singers sing their songs to earn a livelihood. Most of these performers belong to middle-class families, and they had to struggle at the early stages of their career. But through determination, devotion and dedication, these music artists got not only tremendous fame but also earned huge amounts of money. And, even as new names appear in this top-paid list, their names will always be remember as the pioneers of the industry.
