Dr. Dre Is Forbes’ Top-Earning Musician of the Decade with $950 Million
With 2019 coming to a close in just a matter of days, Forbes is giving us a glimpse into this decade’s biggest winners. The publication just unveiled its decenary list of top-earning musicians of the decade. Topping the list is hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre, with an incredible $950 million.
As Forbes notes, Dr. Dre hasn’t released an album since 2015 and hasn’t gone on tour since the turn of the millennium, his last No. 1 song was in 2009, when he worked on Eminem’s “Crack a Bottle.” Yet, the hip-hop superproducer still topped all other music stars this decade, with his business ventures. Notably, Dre’s 20 percent stake in Beats was acquired by Apple in 2014 for $3 billion.
Other notable names on the list include Taylor Swift, who was the decade’s second-biggest earner with $825 million, followed by Beyoncé with $685 million. Both artists profited from several centimillion-dollar tours, multiple albums and a slew of multimillion-dollar sponsor partnerships with brands from adidas to Coca-Cola.
Find the complete list below and head over to Forbes for the complete breakdown.
1. Dr. Dre — $950 million
2. Taylor Swift — $825 million
3. Beyoncé — $685 million
4. U2 — $675 million
5. Diddy — $605 million
6. Elton John — $565 million
7. Jay-Z — $560 million
8. Paul McCartney — $535 million
9. Katy Perry — $530 million
10. Lady Gaga — $500 million
