Musicians, who are uniquely positioned for their instrumental expertise, are also known to earn astonishing amounts of wealth. In this article, we list the net worth of the richest musicians and what factors have contributed to their success. We also list other information about the musicians, such as their dates of birth and the instruments they specialize in.
We have come across many different musicians who play a variety of instruments such as guitar, saxophone, harmonica, keyboard, etc. However, some of them have gone on to be known as the greatest musicians of all time, attracted legions of fans across the globe, and ultimately earned a huge amount of money.
In this article, we present a compiled list of the richest musicians in the world as of 2024.
Who are the musicians?
A musician is someone who directs, composes, and performs music. The U.S. Employment Service defines a “musician” as someone who has chosen music as their primary occupation. Generally, musicians include songwriters, who write lyrics and compose music, conductors, who direct musical performances, and performers, who play in front of large or small audiences.
Here’s the list! The 10 richest musicians of all time as of 2024
10. David Matthews
- Net Worth: $300 million
- date of birth: January 9, 1967 (57 years old as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Guitar
- Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa
David John Matthews is an American musician. He rose to fame by forming the band David Matthews Band, where he acts as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Aside from his work as a musician, David Matthews has also worked as an actor, playing roles in several well-known movies. He has won two Grammy Awards, one for Best Male Rock Performance in 1997 with the David Matthews Band and the other in 2004.
9. Ringo Starr
- Net Worth: $350 million
- date of birth: July 7, 1940 (age 84 as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Drums
- Birthplace: Liverpool, United Kingdom
Sir Richard Starkey, better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He gained international fame as the drummer for the British band The Beatles. In addition to his work as a drummer, Ringo also worked as an occasional singer for rock bands, appearing on one track each on the acclaimed albums Yellow Submarine and A Little Help from My Friends. He also provided vocals and lyrics for The Beatles’ songs Don’t Pass Me By and Octopus’ Garden.
Also read – Top 10 Guitarists who changed the landscape of the music industry
8. Lars Ulrich
- Net Worth: $350 million
- date of birth: December 26, 1963 (61 years old as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Drums
- Birthplace: Gentofte, Denmark
Lars Ulrich is a Danish musician and drummer. He rose to fame as the co-founder of the American heavy metal band Metallica. Like fellow band co-founder James Hetfield, Ulrich has song credits on nearly every music album released by Metallica.
The son of tennis players Torben and Einar Ulrich, Lars Ulrich was initially passionate about sports and moved to Los Angeles to train professionally at the age of 16. However, it was in Los Angeles that he discovered his love for drums, which inspired him to pursue a full-time music career.
7. Edge
- Net Worth: $400 million
- date of birth: August 8, 1961 (63 years old as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Guitar, keyboard
- Birthplace: Barking, Essex, United Kingdom
David Howell Evans, professionally known as “The Edge” or “Edge”, is a British-Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist for the rock band U2. Raised by his parents in Ireland, The Edge learned to play piano and guitar from an early age.
During his secondary education at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, he met artists such as Bono, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton, with whom Mullen Jr. would go on to form the famous band U2 two years later in 1976.
6. Gene Simmons
- Net Worth: $400 million
- date of birth: August 25, 1949 (age 74 as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Bass guitar
- date of birth: Haifa, Israel
Gene Simmons, better known by his stage name “The Devil”, is an Israeli-American musician. He rose to fame as the co-founder of the hard rock band Kiss, whose other founding members were Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
In addition to being a well-known musician, Gene Simmons is also an entrepreneur, with several business ventures and a TV show. He also owns 182 trademarks, including phrases like “zipper,” “sextacy,” and “topless car wash.”
Additionally, Simmons is known for his books, including “On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power” and “How You Can Get More Power.”
Also see – Top 12 Richest Singers in the World in 2024
5. Sting
- Net Worth: $400 million
- date of birthDate of birth: October 2, 1951 (age 72 as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Bass guitar
- Birthplace: Wallsend, United Kingdom
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known by his stage name Sting, is a British actor, musician and social activist. In 1985, the acclaimed musician began his solo career and has contributed to a variety of musical genres, including rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new age and worldbeat.
As of 2024, Sting is a solo contributor to The Police. 17 GHe has become one of the best-selling artists in the world, a Rummy Award winner, and in 2006 was ranked 62nd among the best living songwriters by the American monthly music and entertainment magazine Paste.
4. Keith Richards
- Net Worth: $500 million
- date of birth: December 8, 1943 (age 80 as of 2024)
- musical instrument: Guitar
- place of birth: England
Known as one of the greatest musicians of all time, Keith Richards is an English guitarist and singer. He is popularly known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the iconic rock band, The Rolling Stones. This talented musician was an integral part of the band for over 50 years. Despite facing challenges within the group, especially his public feud with band member Mick Jagger, he eventually reconciled with him and gave some great collaborative performances on stage.
In addition to his contributions to music, Richard was also known for his adventurous spirit, one notable example of which was said to be when he memorialized his father by snorting his father’s ashes.
3. Elton John
- Net Worth: $500 million
- date of birth: March 25, 1947 (age 77 as of 2024)
- Birthplace: Pinner, Middlesex, England
- musical instrument: Piano
Sir Elton Hercules John is a British singer, songwriter and pianist best known for his successful songwriting collaborations with lyricist Bernie Taupin.
Raised by his parents in Pinner, John learned the nuances of piano playing from an early age. In 1969, Elton John formed a successful self-titled band which released hits such as Your Song and Hanke Chateau, and a 1974 single album credited to Princess Diana. Candle in the Wind 1997has sold over 33 million copies and ranks as one of the best-selling chart singles of all time.
Also read – Top 12 Cutest and Most Talented Female Singers in the World 2024 Edition
2. Herb Alpert
- Net Worth: $850 million
- date of birth: March 31, 1935 (age 89 as of 2024)
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
- musical instrumentTrumpet, piano
Herb Alpert is an American trumpeter who is known as the founding member of the band “Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass” which was formed in 1960. A highly acclaimed musician, Herb Alpert has earned 15 gold albums and 14 platinum albums. Not only that, but the wealthy musician has also been awarded several notable awards, including eight Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.
1. Paul McCartney
- Net Worth: $1.2 billion
- date of birthJune 18, 1942 (age 82 as of 2024)
- Birthplace: Liverpool, United Kingdom
- musical instrument: Bass guitar, piano, drums
Sir James Paul McCartney is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. The most successful songwriter and singer of all time, Paul’s musical influences came from his father, who was a jazz player and rock and roll performer. He later became famous for his association with one of the most popular bands, The Beatles. After The Beatles broke up in 1970, he formed a new band with his first wife called Wings. Under his involvement, Wings became a successful band with popular album songs such as “My Love”, “Band on the Run”, “Listen to What the Man Said”, “Silly Love Songs”, and “Mull of Kintyre”.
The last word
Essentially, we have a list of musicians who have paved the way to prove themselves as one of the greatest musicians of all time. This article contains a column on the richest musicians and their net worth. However, it is worth noting that while these musicians have acquired huge amounts of wealth, there are some less prominent musicians who have not acquired wealth but have made a place for themselves.
