Madonna performing during The Celebration Tour at The O2 Arena on October 15, 2023 in London, England.

Richest women in music

Written by:
July 12, 2022
Kevin Mazur // Getty Images For Live Nation

Richest women in music

Some of the wealthiest women in music only need to be introduced by their first names (or their stage names)—think Rihanna, Madonna, or Lady Gaga. To gauge the richest women in music, Stacker looked at Celebrity Net Worth data for singers, rappers, rock stars, and DJs, to rank the top 26 women based on their respective accumulated wealth.

Many successful women in music have made significant money from record sales and touring. Once these performers became household names, some of music's wealthiest women parlayed their celebrity into other lucrative sources of income.

Sometimes these performers operate in the same musical wheelhouse that made them famous in the first place, appearing as a judge on a reality show like "The Voice" or "American Idol," for example. In other cases, successful women in music look further afield for financial opportunities, padding their wallets with the help of perfume, makeup lines, or clothing labels. Some artists have even branched out into the film industry, securing starring roles or starting production companies of their own.

Click through for a look at the richest women in music and the many facets that make up their empires.

Agnetha Fältskog attends the first performance of ABBA's "Voyage"
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Nicky J Sims // Getty Images

#22. Agnetha Fältskog (tie)

- Net worth: $200 million

Agnetha Fältskog is a part of the smash-hit Swedish quartet ABBA. And Fältskog's net worth isn't just tied to royalties on songs like "Dancing Queen." She also has her own production company, which contributes to her net worth.

Pink performs on Day 3 of BottleRock Napa Valley
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Steve Jennings // Getty Images

#22. Pink (tie)

- Net worth: $200 million

Pink is one of the world's bestselling artists, with over 90 million records sold. That said, the singer also makes money from endorsements. Some of the companies she has endorsed include T-Mobile and Covergirl.

Jessica Simpson on a Manhattan street
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Robert Kamau // Getty Images

#22. Jessica Simpson (tie)

- Net worth: $200 million

Jessica Simpson is a singer with a diverse income portfolio. In addition to music, she appeared in early reality television shows and has her own apparel line, including a line of shoes.

Ariana Grande attends the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards
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David Crotty // Getty Images

#22. Ariana Grande (tie)

- Net worth: $200 million

Ariana Grande's income has typically been tied to her music along with her endorsement deals. The singer recently added another income stream. In 2021, Grande signed with the television show "The Voice" as a celebrity judge, which will give her another source of revenue in the years to come.

Adele performs on stage
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Gareth Cattermole // Getty Images

#21. Adele

- Net worth: $220 million

Adele's fans go crazy for her concerts, which have been a significant source of revenue for the beloved singer, who has made most of her money from a combination of record sales and sold-out concerts. While "30" is technically Adele's worst-selling album, it sold more than 1 million copies in 2021, making it the bestselling album that year (despite being released near the year's end in November). 

Diana Ross performs during day five of Glastonbury Festival
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Matthew Baker // Getty Images

#19. Diana Ross (tie)

- Net worth: $250 million

As the lead singer of the legendary group The Supremes, Diana Ross played a significant role in the rise of the bestselling Motown group of all time. And Ross didn't stop there. After striking out on her own as a solo artist, Ross branched off into the film industry, where she happened to play another famous singer, Billie Holiday, in the 1972 film "Lady Sings the Blues."

Bette Midler performs onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
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Kevin Winter // Getty Images

#19. Bette Midler (tie)

- Net worth: $250 million

Bette Midler may have risen to fame as a singer, but that is far from the only source of her wealth. Midler is a successful actress, known for roles in popular movies from "Beaches" to "Hocus Pocus," and in 1985, Midler launched a production company, All Girl Productions. She has also tried her hand as a director and writer.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad attends the 25th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
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George Napolitano // Getty Images

#17. Anni-Frid Lyngstad (tie)

- Net worth: $300 million

Another member of ABBA, Anni-Frid Lyngstad has an unusual source of wealth beyond record sales. In the 1990s, a decade after the pop group's split, the singer married into royalty, becoming Princess Reuss and Countess of Plauen.

Shakira at the screening of the film "Elvis"
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LOIC VENANCE // Getty Images

#17. Shakira (tie)

- Net worth: $300 million

Shakira has seen success both as a Spanish- and English-language artist. She is rumored to have sold her record catalog for $100 million and to have signed a $300 million deal with Live Nation.

Mariah Carey on stage at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards
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ANGELA WEISS // Getty Images

#15. Mariah Carey (tie)

- Net worth: $320 million

Mariah Carey got rich by making significant deals with record companies. Her deal with Universal was for a rumored $7.5 million per album, and when one deal collapsed, she walked away with $28 million. One of her 1994 hits has become a Christmas classic and can be heard frequently during every holiday season—"All I Want for Christmas Is You" has made Carey more than $60 million in streaming royalties alone. 

Lady Gaga attends The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala
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Matt Winkelmeyer // Getty Images

#15. Lady Gaga (tie)

- Net worth: $320 million

Lady Gaga is a world-famous singer with a number of smash-hit songs under her belt. On top of her singing-related revenue, the pop star has also made a significant amount of money from merchandise, including a perfume label she launched in 2012 called Fame.

Katy Perry performs during the LuisaViaRoma for Unicef event
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Jacopo M. Raule // Getty Images

#14. Katy Perry

- Net worth: $330 million

Katy Perry has made a great deal of money from touring and record sales. Another big source of income for Perry: serving as a judge on the wildly popular show "American Idol," which she joined the cast of in 2018. Perry is reportedly the highest-paid judge on the show, making $25 million per season. 

Cher attends The Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Opening Gala
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Frazer Harrison // Getty Images

#13. Cher

- Net worth: $360 million

Cher is a beloved singer, but she hasn't let singing be her only source of income or artistic expression. The star has also played leading roles in many films, including "Moonstruck," for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Trisha Yearwood performs onstage at Country Music Hall of Fame
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Terry Wyatt // Getty Images

#8. Trisha Yearwood (tie)

- Net worth: $400 million

Trisha Yearwood is an extremely successful country music star. On top of her love of singing, she has also turned her passion for cooking into a revenue stream. Yearwood has a show on the Food Network called "Trisha's Southern Kitchen" that contributes to her significant net worth.

Taylor Swift performs during the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony
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Dimitrios Kambouris // Getty Images

#8. Taylor Swift (tie)

- Net worth: $400 million

Taylor Swift's fans (who call themselves "Swifties") are famously dedicated to the pop icon and cannot get enough of her music. She has many of the highest-selling records of all time and also has a significant source of revenue coming in from her merchandise line. She holds the record for the highest-grossing tour of all time.

Shania Twain arrives for the ZFF Golden Icon Award ceremony
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Andreas Rentz // Getty Images

#8. Shania Twain (tie)

- Net worth: $400 million

Shania Twain is the bestselling female country music star in history. She has sold over 100 million records, which has added considerably to her net worth. Twain penned a 2011 autobiography and has appeared on several TV shows, including "RuPaul's Drag Race," and "American Idol," as a guest judge.

Jennifer Lopez accepts the Icon Award onstage
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Kevin Winter // Getty Images

#8. Jennifer Lopez (tie)

- Net worth: $400 million

Jennifer Lopez may say she's still "Jenny from the Block" but the superstar singer has a number of revenue streams that have contributed to her staggering wealth. Among these is her gig as a judge on "American Idol," for which she was reportedly paid $20 million per season.

Barbra Streisand performs onstage at Madison Square Garden
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Kevin Kane // Getty Images

#8. Barbra Streisand (tie)

- Net worth: $400 million

Barbra Streisand is a beloved singer who has made money in a number of ways beyond belting out tunes. She has taken star turns in many movies and TV shows, which has bolstered her net worth beyond record sales.

Victoria Beckham visits ABC's "Good Morning America"
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James Devaney // Getty Images

#7. Victoria Beckham

- Net worth: $450 million

Victoria Beckham got her start as Posh Spice in the 1990s group the Spice Girls. In the years since the group dissolved, Beckham has become a fashion designer, launching a line of high-end clothing and accessories—along with a foray into makeup—that has added to her bottom line.

Gloria Estefan attends The 22nd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards
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Arturo Holmes // Getty Images

#5. Gloria Estefan (tie)

- Net worth: $500 million

Much of Gloria Estefan's fortune has come from music sales and touring. She has found success both as a member of a band and as a solo artist. The popularity of her music is attributed in part to her success with younger audiences.

Beyonce at 63rd Grammy Awards at Staples Center
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Robert Gauthier // Getty Images

#5. Beyoncé Knowles (tie)

- Net worth: $500 million

Beyoncé Knowles is one of the most famous women in the world. She began amassing wealth by turning out smash hit singles and records. She has since gone on to generate a number of other revenue streams, including the fashion line Ivy Park.

Dolly Parton performs at the 2021 Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye Concert
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Jason Kempin // Getty Images

#4. Dolly Parton

- Net worth: $650 million

Dolly Parton created more than 40 Top 10 country music albums. And that isn't the only source of her wealth. The singer has also found success starring in films and writing books, including one she co-wrote with bestselling author James Patterson.

Celine Dion speaks on stage at a live event
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Kevin Mazur // Getty Images

#3. Céline Dion

- Net worth: $800 million

Céline Dion is a singer with many world-famous songs, including "My Heart Will Go On" from the wildly popular film "Titanic." The singer has also amassed a significant amount of money from her residency in Las Vegas, where she makes an estimated half a million dollars per performance.

Madonna performs onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Kevin Mazur // Getty Images for dcp

#2. Madonna

- Net worth: $850 million

Madonna rose to international fame as a pop icon. In the years since she broke into the music scene, the superstar has expanded her net worth through a number of other endeavors, including acting, publishing deals, and endorsements. 

Rihanna performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
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Gregory Shamus // Getty Images

#1. Rihanna

- Net worth: $1.7 billion

Rihanna is one of the most famous women on the planet thanks to hits, such as "Umbrella," which she has been turning out for well over a decade. That said, what launched Rihanna into billionaire territory was her lingerie line Savage x Fenty.

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