Overview
- Taylor Swift ranked second with $202 million and Beyoncé placed third with $148 million, rounding out the top three for 2025.
- The Weeknd’s total reflects the album Hurry Up Tomorrow, a billion-dollar After Hours Til Dawn tour, and an estimated $200 million from a Lyric Capital catalog deal.
- Kendrick Lamar led hip-hop with $109 million (fourth overall), out-earning Drake, who made $78 million to place seventh.
- Six artists earned nine-figure sums, with Coldplay and Shakira tied at $105 million, underscoring the concentration of touring power across genres.
- Forbes based its 2025 ranking on estimated music-related earnings from Dec. 31, 2024 through Dec. 31, 2025 using Pollstar and Luminate data along with industry interviews.