25. U2 ($150 Million)
The Irish rock group comes in at number 25 within this list. Led by front man Bono, this band emerged from the punk period in the U.K. — and instead offered a more melodic/less ‘in-your-face’ presentation. Featuring Bono’s noteworthy vocals, U2 became super popular in Europe before crossing the pond into the U.S.
U2 has won more Grammy Awards (22) than any other band. They’ve steadily been churning out music since the ’70’s. As they continue to experiment with different styles, the core essence of what made U2 ‘U2″ still remains.
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24. Bruce Springsteen ($150 Million)
“The Boss” really is…a boss. New Jersey born and bred, Springsteen is considered to be one of the greatest American performers since his start in the mid-1960’s. His energetic performances are legendary — and he’s put together a discography anyone would be jealous of.
And then, there are the hit singles. You’ve heard them all — whether at a sporting event, at the movies, on television, or at a bar. Among the best ones, we’re talking about “Born in the U.S.A.”, “Backstreets”, Thunder Road”, “Badlands”, and “Born to Run”. Simply put, the 20-time Grammy Award-winner is phenomenal.
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23. Billy Joel ($150 Million)
“The Piano Man” has been prevalent in our lives for as long as we can remember. Joel’s sweet sounds — often accompanied by a piano or a guitar — are terrific! They play well from decade to decade, and rarely (if ever) sound dated. It’s a true testament to his ability as both a songwriter and as a musician.
Combining album sales, tours, and concert appearances, it’s really not a surprise see Joel within the top-25. His ability to connect with different generations really solidifies his place here.
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22. Ed Sheeran ($150 Million)
Sheeran recently received the news that over 100 million people follow him on the streaming service Spotify. It speaks to the popularity he’s cultivated over the years. The English singer doesn’t look like your typical lead man. He’s sorta scruffy with frizzy hair and a collection of weird tattoos.
Yet, this relatability might be why people gravitate towards him. That — and the fact he’s been blessed with a set of seriously ridiculous pipes. Only in his early 30’s, there’s plenty of time for Sheeran to move up this list.
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21. Kanye West ($160 Million)
Forget about the off-the-stage issues with Kim and a plethora of other things. Purely as a creator of music — and ultimately a maker of money — Kanye is one of the best in the world to date. The College Dropout and Late Registration were two smash-hit albums. Graduation followed, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy capped over a ridiculous five-year run.
While his newer albums are a bit more experimental in nature (and arguably less effective), it doesn’t really matter. The groundwork was laid for him to become — in the words of Jay-Z — “not a businessman, [but] a business, man.”
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20. Garth Brooks ($170 Million)
Troyal Garth Brooks might be the most prolific country music performer of all-time. If we go by the metric from this piece, he certainly makes a strong case. The Oklahoma native has nine albums reaching diamond status (a feat no other musician has ever achieved). It’s even surprising to learn Brooks has only two Grammy Awards under his belt.
Still, the ’90’s and much of the 2000’s belonged to him. Even if he somewhat morphed pure country into more of a pop sound, Brooks really is the classic case of combining hard work along with stellar talent. In the process, you’re left with a legend.
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19. The Rolling Stones ($200 Million)
Mick Jagger. A bright pair of lips with a gigantic red tongue. Real rockstar appeal. Real rockstar talent.
The Rolling Stones really does have every component to form the ideal rock band. Hailing from London, the group has performed — and continues to perform — since 1962. Yes, that’s a span of over 60 years from which the band first took to the stage.
The commercialized nature of the band does lend itself to the huge financial success over the decades. When you see that recognizable logo, you automatically know which band it comes from.
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18. AC/DC ($200 Million)
The logo says it all. It’s iconic, bold, brash, and immediately noticeable. The lightning bolt really does mirror the explosive music from this band hailing originally from Australia. The big tracks are almost always utilized in films centered around football or heavy action.
Let’s be honest…when “Thunderstruck” starts blaring during that on-field scene during Varsity Blues, anyone would be pumped up enough to run through a wall. The marketing for this band essentially comes from its awesome logo. As such, we aren’t overly surprised by the $200 mil brought on by the band.
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17. Celine Dion ($200 Million)
The Canadian delight out of Quebec has long been considered one of her country’s most well-regarded performers. Dion’s ethereal voice absolutely booms when on stage. Hailing from the French-speaking province, she’s able to produce world class music in both French and English.
After winning Eurovision in 1988, Dion’s profile exploded. However, from a global standpoint, her feature hit track “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic really sent her into the stars. If you combine revenue from concert sales along with album sales, reports indicate she made close to $750 million.
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16. Eagles ($200 Million)
The LA-based group has been performing all over the world since the early ’70’s. Eagles have churned out a number of songs which get recycled in film and television constantly (hello royalties!). Chief among them, “Hotel California”, “Witchy Woman”, “Take it Easy”, and “New Kid in Town” (among others).
The Eagles have been nominated for a whopping 18 Grammy Awards. A third of the time, they’ve won (6 Grammy Awards in total). Duly, the group had five tracks finishing No. 1 atop the charts — as well as six albums at number one.
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15. Whitney Houston ($200 Million)
The late Whitney Houston literally had one of the most gifted voices in the history of the world. She won every music-based award you could think of. Not to mention, Houston was an exceptionally gifted actress (as we saw alongside Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard).
With that said, Houston’s obvious bread-and-butter stemmed from her prowess as a musician. Aside from the millions she made with her own singles/albums, she also penned a number of songs specifically geared towards television shows and movies. Tragically, Houston passed in 2012 at the age of 48.
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14. Queen ($200 Million)
For as globally popular as Queen is, imagine if Freddy Mercury was still alive? Without a doubt, you’d know Mercury would still be performing with the band today — showcasing his booming voice, bravado, and insane on-stage charisma. The iconic tracks from this band continue to appear all across the world in some form or fashion.
Bohemian Rhapsody included an Oscar-winning performance by Rami Malek (who portrayed Mercury). The band was always popular — though this movie further deepened the fiery glow of fandom with millions buying the soundtrack/streaming tracks/watching on YouTube.
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13. Taylor Swift ($200 Million)
T-Swift is shooting up the monetary charts as we speak. Originally she was sort of billed as a pseudo-country star. Much of her fan base early on were ‘tweens’ and teens who loved her sweet, sentimental music videos (filled with sugary-sweet teen relationship angst).
Now, she’s evolved into a pop star — where she’ll offer veiled shots at many of her ex-boyfriends (all of whom seem equally as famous). There’s really no stopping this runaway train…Swift will be in the top-10 in no time.
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12. Mariah Carey ($220 Million)
Mariah Carey is a goddess. Since the late ’80’s, she’s been a major fixture in the realm of pop culture. She had an 11-year in-a-row streak where she had No. 1 singles. Her music ranged from ballad-heavy to pop, R&B, and even Christmas-themed.
This sort of versatility — combined with her insanely brilliant voice — had led to Carey raking in the cash for a long, long time. Our hunch is that this will continue for as long as Carey wants to perform.
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11. Pink Floyd ($250 Million)
Among the U.K bands coming over to the U.S., Pink Floyd emerged rather quickly as a favorite. Though technically a rock band, this isn’t a ‘hair metal’/hard rock group. Instead, the music was more nuanced and experimental in nature.
Even the content of the albums/song lyrics catered to a ‘space-like’ atmosphere — where heavy elements of psychedelic rock were explored. As such, Pink Floyd was a giant within the industry for a long period of time. Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side of the Moon are two of the best tandem albums of the last 50 years.
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10. Justin Bieber ($261.4 Million)
By the end of what figures to be a very lengthy career, we probably will see Bieber sitting close to — if not atop this list. The musical prodigy out of Canada was discovered via YouTube. Bieber had the uncanny ability to teach himself how to play various instruments.
He first appealed to young kids with his music. It then morphed into a teenage crowd, and now it firmly sits in the realm of ‘adult’ R&B. Anything Bieber touches essentially turns to gold. He’ll be printing money for fun as long as he continues to be a professional musician.
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9. Led Zeppelin ($300 Million)
The massive English rock band emerged around the same time as The Beatles — though offered more of a true rock sound rather than one rooted in pop. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page combined to form a powerhouse of a sound — heavy on wailing lyrics and instrumentals (particularly the guitar).
The lyrics were fresh and exciting, the passion shown on stage was palpable, and the group was able to build a strong following all across Europe and into the Untied States. The money created from this dynamic group surely was helped by record sales after the period in which Led Zeppelin performed regularly.
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8. Madonna ($300 Million)
While her popularity has somewhat waned in terms of today’s pop climate, there’s no denying the impact Madonna had on pop culture as a whole during the ’80’s/’90’s. A true performer, she set the stage on fire with her vocals and classically-trained dance background.
A winner of numerous Grammy Awards, many of her albums grossed some heavy cash. Furthering her persona, she even has dabbled in the world of acting. Though she’s in her ’60’s, you can still see Madonna ‘getting after it’ on stage.
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7. Elton John ($300 Million)
This one isn’t too surprising. Even well into his 70’s, John — a true tour de force — is still touring around the world. The England-born musician has been delighting fans for over 50 years from a public standpoint. Whether it be small pubs or selling out famous venues, John has made quite a bit of money.
If one thinks about it, John has profited heavily from a lengthy career and constantly performing tour. You then must figure in the vinyl, records, CDs, cassette tapes, and all of the merch (where he surely gets a piece of the pie). When further factoring in his reputation as a performer, he’ll continue to rake in the cash at a fast rate.
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6. Eminem ($321.4 Million)
Guess who’s back…as a top-10 grossing musical artist of all-time. The man also known as Slim Shady took the music world by storm during the late ’90’s/early 2000’s. His raunchy, fast-paced, and slightly controversial/inappropriate lyrics made him a true sensation. Eminem appealed to suburban kids just as much as ones living in the city.
Eminem’s iconic bleached hair was plastered everywhere in the media — especially on MTV during the height of his popularity. Record sales, concert touring, and everything in-between let to Eminem becoming immensely wealthy.
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5. Rihanna ($328.5 Million)
Rihanna’s first studio album debuted in 2005. By the third (in 2007), she was already skyrocketed into the atmosphere as one of the world’s most popular singers. Rihanna’s model looks — coupled with her unique voice and island vibes — was simply a perfect template for what the modern day pop star would bring to the table.
When you factor in her beauty line, Rihanna is said to be worth nearly $2 billion. We can’t even imagine to predict what her financial portfolio will look like 10-15 years from now — especially with the expected music she’s slated to churn out.
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4. Drake ($395 Million)
Drizzy is one of the youngest members on the list. Yet, he’s also one of the more successful ones. Even with his rapping exploits as a handicapped high school kid on Degrassi, few would’ve guessed that he’d eventually turn into a global rap superstar.
Yet, that’s exactly what happened. Breakout solo albums were soon followed by guest appearances on tracks and albums of his peers. Drake’s popularity has continued to grow and grow. Even if his most recent album wasn’t the best, you can be assured he’ll still bank a ton of money.
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3. Michael Jackson ($400 Million)
The King of Pop needs no introduction. We’ve seen countless examples in how significant Jackson’s presence was. Look no further than on his birthday — where shrines are created each and every year all across the world. You’d also have to recognize the murals, statues, artwork, and pictures of Jackson (which are constantly showcased in memory of the fallen performer).
Outside of perhaps Elvis, we’ve never seen such a gifted performer both vocally and in terms of movement. Jackson exuded ‘cool’ (even if his personal life was tumultuous). The discography alone is an unreal walk down memory lane. You’ll still end up shocked at how many elite tracks he turned into top hits.
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2. Elvis Presley ($500 Million)
While Elvis was a global star, much of his earnings came posthumously. He was a young man when he passed away — and one can be sure he would’ve continued to earn boatloads of money had he not died at age 42. Still, this man was a transcendent artist — taking influences from blues, R&B, rock, pop, and gospel singing.
“Hound Dog”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “All Shook Up”, and “Stuck on You” were among Elvis’ biggest hits and most noteworthy tracks. The audience he cultivated was clearly rooted throughout the South. However, he eventually exploded all across the United States, and eventually to countries in other continents.
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1. The Beatles ($600 Million)
The top selling musical entity of all-time is none other than The Beatles. The ‘British Invasion’ of U.K. musicians to the U.S. was a seminal moment in musical history. After selling out dingy pubs and smaller venues across Europe, the United States and all of its branding opportunities came calling.
For the first time, the band became both commercialized and glorified. No longer were they a quartet of floppy-haired guys looking to write a tune. Instead, it was a group which changed the course of rock music forever. It wasn’t just the amount of albums produced by the band…it was the sheer quantity of hits we all know and love 50 years later.
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