Eagles, Queen, Beatles Among 2020’s Top Paid Musicians
Several of classic rock’s biggest acts rank among Billboard’s list of the top paid musicians in 2020.
Rock accounted for 13 of the Top 40 artists, more than any other genre. With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on touring, while also leading many acts to push back their album release dates, the list included some surprising names. Still, it’s not a shock to see some of rock’s most iconic artists featured in the Top 10.
The Eagles were the fourth highest paid act in 2020, taking in approximately $16.3 million. More than $11 million of that total came from ten shows the band played early in the year before COVID restrictions led to the suspension of their Hotel California tour. The group was also one of the most streamed bands of 2020, accounting for more than $2.7 million of their profits.
At No. 7 on the list was Queen. The legendary band took in more than $5 million through physical sales, with another $5+ million coming via streaming. Their total of $13.2 million is made all the more impressive considering Queen didn’t manage to tour at all in 2020.
Physical sales helped the Beatles land at No. 8 on the list. Billboard noted that the Fab Four sold 671,000 copies of its albums in 2020, “78% of which were vinyl reissues that are priced higher than CDs and thus pay higher royalties.”
Further down the list, AC/DC came in at No. 13 tanks largely to the sales and streaming of their long-awaited 2020 LP Power Up. Metallica (No. 18) got a boost from the release of their S&M2 live set, as well as digitally remastered versions of their album catalog. Pink Floyd, Tool, Kiss, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Aerosmith and Fleetwood Mac -- the latter of whom enjoyed a massive viral moment last year -- all ranked within the Top 40.
Check out the full list of 2020’s Top Paid Musicians below.
1. Taylor Swift: $23.8 million
2. Post Malone: $23.2 million
3. Céline Dion: $17.5 million
4. Eagles: $16.3 million
5. Billie Eilish: $14.7 million
6. Drake: $14.2 million
7. Queen: $13.2 million
8. The Beatles: $12.9 million
9. YoungBoy Never Broke Again: $11.9 million
10. Lil Baby: $11.7 million
11. The Weeknd: $10.4 million
12. Aventura: $10.2 million
13. AC/DC: $10.1 million
14. Eminem: $9.7 million
15. Lil Uzi Vert: $9.5 million
16. Luke Combs: $9.2 million
17. DaBaby: $9.1 million
18. Metallica: $9 million
19. BTS: $8.9 million
20. Pink Floyd: $8.8 million
21. Bad Bunny: $8.4 million
22. Future: $8.2 million
23. Ariana Grande: $7.5 million
24. Roddy Rich: $7.4 million
25. Rod Wave: $7.37
26. George Strait: $6.9 million
27. The Lumineers: $6.8 million
28. Blake Shelton: $6.7 million
29. Fleetwood Mac: $6.6 million
30. Kanye West: $6.3 million
31. Justin Bieber: $6.22 million
32. Tool: $6.17 million
33. Kiss: $6 million
34. The Rolling Stones: $5.96 million
35. Travis Scott: $5.82 million
36. Ed Sheeran: $5.66 million
37. Halsey: $5.55 million
38. Harry Styles: $5.51 million
39. Billy Joel: $5.49 million
40. Aerosmith: $5.35 million