Forbes confirms music billionaires for 2024

After publishing the list of the wealthiest musicians globally based on net worth last month, it’s time for us to verify the highest-ranked individuals on that list. We can cross-reference this data against the Forbes World Billionaires List 2024. Forbes compiled their extensive global directory of billionaires by gathering a variety of data, information, and sources, including personal interviews, to create a list of all individuals with a net worth of one billion US dollars or more as of March 8, 2024.

2,781 individuals appear on the Forbes list as billionaires, collectively holding a staggering fortune of $14.2 trillion. Remarkably, the 14 wealthiest individuals on this list have an individual net worth of $100 billion or more in the year 2024. This vast amount of wealth is concentrated among a minuscule percentage of the global population.

To rephrase, let me say: Last month we discussed that the number of musicians on the billionaire list is quite limited. This new 2024 list corroborates this fact as it only includes three musicians. Interestingly, two out of these three have amassed a significant portion of their wealth from sources other than music.

Three billionaire musicians in 2024

Those three are:

  • Jay-Z $2.5B
  • Rihanna $1.4B
  • Taylor Swift $1.1B

Jay-Z and Rihanna amass significant income through investments and various businesses. This year, Taylor Swift makes history by joining the billionaires list, with her wealth primarily stemming from songwriting and live performances – making her the first musician to achieve this milestone.

While it’s true that the music industry is vast, it extends far beyond just musicians themselves. In fact, the world of music is well-represented on the billionaire list, not only by musicians but also by individuals connected to the industry, specifically those who own record labels. Here are three such billionaires with strong ties to the music business.

  • David Geffen who started his own record labels, Asylum, Geffen, and DGC Records, and also established Dreamworks films is high on the list with a wealth of $8B. 
  • Clive Calder is listed at $2.7B. Caldera cofounded the Zomba Group and Jive, which had Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, amongst others, on their books. 
  • Bang Si-hyuk has a wealth of $1.8B from his Hybe group, previously Big Hit Entertainment, a huge record label in South Korea.

Six wealthy figures with strong ties to the music industry are expected to hold the top spots globally in 2024, as our previous rundown indicated. There are others on the brink of joining this elite club. Notably, Taylor Swift and Rihanna have already achieved this status since last year’s list, surpassing the late Jimmy Buffett. Who will follow suit next?

Read More

2025-01-25 17:07