Which Musician Made the Most this Decade?
This decade treated Dr. Dre very well. Of all the musicians in the world, he made the most money in the 2010s. Forbes magazine estimates the producer, artist and executive made nearly a billion dollars over the course of the decade, largely thanks to the sale of the Beats headphone and streaming music company, which he co-founded, to Apple.
Dre is first among the living. Michael Jackson has earned well over $2 billion since his death in 2009.
Dr. Dre made more than Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Paul McCartney, Elton John and U2, all of them among the decade’s top 10 money earners:
- Dr. Dre – $950 million
- Taylor Swift – $825 million
- Beyoncé – $685 million
- U2 – $675 million
- Diddy – $605 million (from music and Ciroc vodka)
- Elton John – $565 million
- Jay-Z – $560 million
- Paul McCartney – $535 million
- Katy Perry – $530 million
- Lady Gaga – $500 million
