CELEBRITY
Paul McCartney Becomes Third Richest Musician With Estimated $1.4 Billion Net Worth
Paul McCartney has gone from Beatle to billionaire, according to Forbes.
The outlet’s inaugural The Billie newsletter, which will celebrate a different money-maker making 10 figures or more, revealed the Wings frontman, 84, has “sung, sued, countersued, tortured, and toiled his way to a $1.4 billion fortune.”
That statistic makes him the third richest musician in the world, behind Taylor Swift‘s $2 billion net worth in second place and Jay-Z in first with $2.8 billion.
According to the publication, most of Macca’s money doesn’t come from The Beatles, but from securing the rights to his solo music, Christmas standards, Buddy Holly‘s catalog and Broadway musical scores to his MPL Communications publishing company.
Among his biggest money makers are Christmas classics including “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire),” “Wonderful Christmastime,” “Blue Christmas,” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
He even gets a cut when a high school theater group performs Grease, with Forbes saying MPL “likely” generates tens of millions annually and is worth at least a quarter of a billion on its own.
In addition to tour profits, real estate, and an impressive art collection featuring Picasso and Magritte pieces, The Beatles’ years of legal battles over their own recordings also paid off big time for McCartney when it comes to his net worth.
According to the report, Paul, Ringo Starr, and the estates of John Lennon and George Harris split the $50 million annually their Apple Corps holding company pulls in from streams, sales and merch.
McCartney, however, also gets an additional boost from his share of the songwriting copyrights for the group — which Forbes estimates pulls in $10 million a year and is worth at least another $200 million.
He shows no signs of stopping either. Paul released his 20th solo album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, earlier this year — and wrapped up a three-year tour in 2025.
