The renowned magazine Forbes has just unveiled its the 2022 world’s 25 highest-paid entertainment stars. While Peter Jackson (the director of The Lord of the Rings) rose to the top spot with US$580 million raised during 2021, Bruce Springsteen occupies the No. 1 among singers.
With total revenues of US$ 435 million last year, Bruce Springsteen holds the second position in this ranking, all categories combined. The Boss achieved this feat thanks to the sale of his music catalog to the Sony Music Group, in December 2021. Valued at nearly $500 million, the deal included the recordings and credits for 20 studio albums released over five decades, as well as several box sets and live performances.
Jay-Z is in third place with revenues of US$340 million. The bulk of the money comes from the sale of half of the rapper’s Armand de Brignac champagne brand to luxury giant LVMH for $300 million. Beyoncé’s husband and his partners also sold an 80% stake in the Tidal streaming service to Square, a deal valued at $302 million.
Among the other musical artists who are included in this list of Forbes, include Kanye West, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, Mötley Crüe, the Beach Boys, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.
Here is the complete list of the 25 highest paid entertainment stars in the world (in US dollars):
1. Peter Jackson – $580 million
2. Bruce Springsteen – $435 million
3. Jay-Z – $340 million
4. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – $270 million
5. Kanye West – $235 million
6. Trey Parker and Matt Stone – $210 million
7. Paul Simon – $200 million
8. Tyler Perry – $165 million
9. Ryan Tedder – $160 million
10. Bob Dylan – $130 million
11. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – $116 million
12. Reese Witherspoon – $115 million
13. Chuck Lorre – $100 million
14. Sean “Diddy” Combs – $90 million
15. Dick Wolf – $86 million
16. Howard Stern – $85 million
17. Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane – $82 million
18. Shonda Rhimes – $81 million
19. Neil Young – $80 million
20. Greg Berlanti – $75 million
21. Lindsey Buckingham – $73 million
22. Mötley Crüe – $72 million
23. Beach Boys – $64 million
24. Blake Shelton – $55 million
25. Taylor Swift – $52 million
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