The 27 Richest Musicians in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Every year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts new members into its hallowed musical halls, bestowing an honor upon a musician or band that has made history with its music. On Oct. 30, a new generation of musicians will find themselves in the company of some of the greatest entertainers of all time.
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By the time a musician has made it to this level of success, they have likely earned fortune as well as fame. Here, using data from Celebrity Net Worth, GoBankingRates charts the top 27 richest musicians in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with many millionaires and even a couple of billionaires on the list.
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Rod Stewart
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1994, 2012
The British rocker who started his music career in the 1960s really landed on the map in 1971, with his solo album “Every Picture Tells a Story.” His albums have since sold over 120 million copies worldwide over his more than five-decade career. He had to learn to sing again after throat cancer in 2000.
Phil Collins
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2010
Though the British musician is best known for his early work with the band Genesis, he had a successful solo career. He has sold more than 100,000 albums worldwide and can earn up to $50 million per tour. One of his most successful songs was “You’ll Be in My Heart” from the 1999 “Tarzan” soundtrack, a film by Disney.
Larry Mullen Jr.
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2005
Musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. is the less well-known but equally important co-founder and drummer for the Irish rock band U2. Not only has he won over 20 Grammy awards, he and the band have sold millions of copies.
James Hetfield
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2009
Hetfield is the voice of the band Metallica, as its lead singer (as well as a guitarist and songwriter) and one of its co-founders, along with Lars Ulrich. Hetfield has received the distinction of being listed at No. 24 in Hit Parader magazine’s “Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.” Metallica has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide.
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Björn Ulvaeus
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2010
Björn Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer and producer best known for his part in the hit pop Swedish band ABBA, which hit its stride in the mid-’70s. Björn has also composed musicals and co-produced films like “Mamma Mia!” and its sequels.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
- Net worth: $300 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2010
Another of the founding members of ABBA, Norwegian singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, known as “Frida,” made her money when ABBA went viral. After ABBA, she had a successful solo career and then married into royalty in 1992. She is now Princess Reuss and Countess of Plauen.
Roger Waters
- Net worth: $310 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1996
Waters is the co-founder and former bassist of the rock band, Pink Floyd, which reached stardom in the 1970s. Waters wrote most of the lyrics for Pink Floyd’s most critically acclaimed albums, including “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall.” “Dark Side of the Moon” not only sold over 40 million copies after its debut, but it is considered the second-bestselling album of all time.
Dave Grohl
- Net worth: $320 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2014, 2021
American musician, singer and songwriter Dave Grohl is the lead singer and guitarist for the Foo Fighters but made his mark as the former drummer of Nirvana. In 1991, Nirvana recorded “Nevermind,” the album that went on to surpass expectations and experience worldwide commercial success. It was only expected to sell thousands of copies, but sold well over 15 million.
Ringo Starr
- Net worth: $350 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1988 & 2015
Ringo Starr is an English musician most famously known for being drummer for The Beatles (though he also sang occasional vocals for the band). He joined the band in 1962 but launched a solo career after the band’s split in 1970. His solo career has been long and successful.
Lars Ulrich
- Net worth: $350 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2009
Lars Ulrich is a Danish musician best known as one of the founding members of the American heavy metal band Metallica. Ulrich also had the honor of being the first Dane inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 2009.
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Bob Dylan
- Net worth: $375 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1988
Iconic American folksinger Bob Dylan got his start in the 1960s, but he has never stopped playing music and still tours. According to Celebrity Net Worth, “he is considered one of the best and most-prolific songwriters of all time,” and his songs — including such hits as “Blowing in the Wind,” “Mr Tambourine Man” and “Like a Rolling Stone” — have been covered by more than 6,000 artists.
The Edge
- Net worth: $400 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2005
The Edge is one of the founding members of U2, which formally adopted its name in 1978 after playing together for some time. David Evans is his real name, and he is the band’s lead guitarist and keyboardist. He has also produced a solo album. According to Celebrity Net Worth, “Evans is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.”
Sting
- Net worth: $400 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2003
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, is a British musician, actor and philanthropist. He made his name as lead singer for The Police, which received numerous awards and recognitions. Their song “Every Breath You Take,” from 1983, has been deemed “one of the top 10 most profitable songs of all time in terms of royalties,” according to Celebrity Net Worth. Sting’s former business manager claimed that this song was still bringing in approximately $2,000 a day in royalties alone for Sting, as of 2010.
Gene Simmons
- Net worth: $400 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2014
Simmons is best known as one of the co-founders of the rock band Kiss, whose heyday was from the late 1970s through the 1990s. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide.
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Adam Clayton
- Net worth: $400 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2005
Adam Clayton joined the band U2 in 1976 as their bass player. The band has sold close to 200 million albums worldwide, and, according to Celebrity Net Worth, engaged in some of the biggest money-making world tours in music history.
Jon Bon Jovi
- Net worth: $410 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2018
Jon Bon Jovi is the founder and lead singer of the rock band Bon Jovi. Jon and several friends, including Richie Sambora, started the band in 1983 and went onto smash success. Some of their most famous songs include, “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “You Give Love a Bad Name” and Living on a Prayer.” According to Celebrity Net Worth, “Bon Jovi has performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans.”
Eric Clapton
- Net worth: $450 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1992, 1993, 2000
Clapton got his start in the 1960s playing guitar, first with the Yardbirds and then with the band Cream. But he’s been most successful in his solo career; with more than 100 million album sales, he’s considered one of the bestselling musicians in history, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and ranked No. 53 on “Rolling Stone” magazine’s Top 100 Artists Of All-Time list and No. 2 on their list of the greatest guitarists.
Mick Jagger
- Net worth: $500 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1989
Sir Michael Philip Jagger is the swaggering lead singer for The Rolling Stones, a position he has held since the band formed in the 1960s. The Rolling Stones may be one of the most successful bands of all time, having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, and still touring today. According to Fortune, they grossed more than $1.5 billion between 1989 and 2001 alone from their tours and records.
Keith Richards
- Net worth: $500 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1989
Richards is the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist and a songwriter for The Rolling Stones. He and Jagger can be considered the backbone of this historically successful band.
Elton John
- Net worth: $500 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1994
Known as much for his spectacular specs as for his incredible music career, Sir Elton John is among the top most commercially successful artists of all time, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. According to Celebrity Net Worth, that makes him the fifth bestselling musical artist after behind Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elvis and The Beatles. He can earn up to $80 million per year when he is touring.
Bruce Springsteen
- Net worth: $500 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1999
Bruce Springsteen has made a name as an iconic American musician, first with the E Street Band and then as a solo artist. He’s sold over 135 million albums worldwide, and earns an average of $80 million per year. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is one of 35 bestselling musical artists in history.
Bono
- Net worth: $700 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2005
Bono, an Irish musician (born Paul David Hewson in Dublin), could not have known when he formed his band U2 at age 16 that it would go on to become one of the most successful bands of all time. U2 has dropped 14 studio albums, successfully sold out all live tours, is worth millions and has won 22 Grammy awards. Though it took until their fifth album, “Joshua Tree” in 1987, for them to truly become recognized.
Dr. Dre
- Net worth: $780 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2016
Dr. Dre is an American rapper and actor who was incredibly successful in his music career, though he’s made a significant portion of his wealth from other pursuits. He is responsible for starting both Eminem’s and 50 Cent’s careers through his production company Aftermath Entertainment. But his biggest money-maker resulted from the electronics company he co-founded with music producer Jimmy Iovine, Beats By Dre. Apple acquired the company in 2014 for $3 billion.
Madonna
- Net worth: $850 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2008
American singer and entertainer Madonna has been a household name since her second album, “Like a Virgin,” hit in 1984. Madonna often pushes boundaries and styles in her music, and has sold an astonishing more than 300 million records worldwide. She is considered “the bestselling recording artist of all time,” according to Celebrity Net Worth.
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Herb Alpert
- Net worth: $850 million
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2006
Herb Alpert is an American musician and music industry executive. He made his name as the trumpet player leading the Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass band in the 1960s, which outsold The Beatles, with over 13 million albums. The rest of his wealth came by co-founding A&M Records with Jerry Moss. They sold A&M to PolyGram in 1989 for $500 million, and then sued and won an additional $200 million payout.
Paul McCartney
- Net worth: $1.2 billion
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 1988 & 1999
While Paul McCartney may be most famous for being a founding member of The Beatles, which he joined as a teenager in 1960, he’s had a tremendously successful solo career as well. Thanks to his skill not only as a singer but a songwriter, McCartney is one of the wealthiest musicians in the world.
Jay-Z
- Net worth: $1.3 billion
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class: 2021
Jay-Z is an American rapper and producer, and quite possibly the wealthiest musician in the world. As of this writing, Jay-Z’s net worth is $1.3 billion. His earnings include that of his equally famous wife, Beyonce, and have been earned through a combination of record sales, tours, sales of merchandise, endorsements and investments. He averages earnings of about $70-$80 million each year.
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Methodology: For this support piece GOBankingRates looked at CelebrityNetWorth.com’s data for the richest rock stars, singers and rappers. With $300 million as the threshold to qualify, GOBankingRates then cross referenced the list of qualifying musicians with the Rock & Roll Hall of fame inductee data to only include those who have been or will be in 2021 inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. All data was collected and is up to date as of Sept. 23, 2021.
