Top 10 richest British musicians: 2023 net worth of UK performers ranked - from Sting to Paul McCartney

The British music scene is like no other - it is diverse and vibrant, with influences reaching across the world. From the likes of classic bands such as The Beatles and The Rollins Stones, to modern performers such as Ed Sheeran, British artists have continued to introduce new sounds to the scene.

The highest earning British musicians come from different backgrounds and have each brought a unique musical genius to the art - together, the richest musicians in the UK are worth more than twice as much as the nation's highest-paid actors.

And it comes as no surprise, as many of the names on this list have continued to perform for decades, in some cases into their 80s. Whilst all of these musicians are worth a stupendous sum, for many their worth will continue to increase dramatically in the coming years as they continue to put out more genre-defining tracks.

These are the top 10 richest British musicians, according to data from The Times:

Sir Paul McCartney (and wife Nancy Shevell) - £865 million

It’s no shock that a Beatle comes top of the list - the Liverpudlian band is arguably the most famous group to have come out of the UK. The 80 year old still makes millions each year from royalties from album sales, and continues to perform as a solo artist. He was reportedly paid £200,000 for his Glastonbury appearance last year. Additionally, his 2021 autobiography, The Lyrics, earned the star around £3 million in its first four days of publication.

Paul’s wife Nancy, who he married in 2011, is not involved in the business world herself - she made her fortune through her family company New England Motor Freight, though the firm declared bankruptcy in 2021. Despite her financial woes, Nancy is still estimated to be worth around £160 million, meaning Paul is independently worth around £700 million. 

Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber - £495 million

English composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber, 75, is known for composing several of the most popular stage musicals of all time - among them Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Starlight Express, and Phantom of the Opera.

Lloyd-Webber became a Conservative life peer in 1997 - though he rarely voted in the House of Lords, he did make an appearance in 2015 (his first in more than two years) to vote in favour of cutting tax credits for the lowest-paid workers in the country. He retired from his role as a Lord in 2017. Webber is believed to earn around £40 million per year from his musicals and film adaptations.  

Sir Elton John - £395 million

The Tiny Dancer singer has been performing since the 1960s and has had a staggering career. His Candle in the Wind 1997, rewritten for Princess Diana’s funeral from his 1974 original, is the best-selling chart single of all time, having sold more than 33 million copies worldwide. 

Though incredibly rich, Elton donates vast sums to charity - as of 2018 he had donated £301 million, according to UK Fundraising and was one of the country’s most generous givers that year. Elton will have also seen a significant cash injection from the biopic musical film Rocketman, and his farewell tour grossed a record-setting £660 million, though it’s unknown how much he saw of that.

Sting - £320 million

Police frontman Sting, another big earning bandmate, is known for hits including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, and Don’t Stand So Close to Me. Last year he made a huge deal with Universal, selling the rights to his entire back catalogue, both for his solo work and Police hits, for an estimated £240 million.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, as Sting invested around £12 million in his musical The Last Ship, but failed to recoup the money. Sting doesn’t need to worry though - his company Steerpike Limited, which supports activities to performing arts, made around £100 million in 2021 even as the pandemic halted many activities. In fact, Sting is worth more than both his former bandmates, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, who are collectively worth around £145 million.

Sir Mick Jagger - £318 million

Lead singer and founding member of rock band The Rolling Stones, one of the most enduring bands in the world. The group is known for classic hits (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It, Black, and Gimme Shelter and Jagger continues to make around £1 million a year from Spotify downloads alone.

He also adds to his earnings through merchandise sales, tours, and film production - he is credited as a producer on the films Enigma, Crossfire Hurricane, and The Women. His music has also featured on films including Children of Men, V for Vendetta, and Alfie.

Keith Richards - £303 million

The Rolling Stones’ guitarist and co-founder alongside Jagger, Richards was just edged out on the rich list, with £15 million less than his bandmate. Like Jagger, he also makes a pretty penny from Spotify downloads and touring - the band made around £93 million for 14 tours in 2018.

The group continues to tour even though the three members are all in their 70s. Ronnie Wood, who joined the Stones late in 1975, has some catching up to do, as his net worth is around £160 million.

Olivia and Dhani Harrison - £295 million 

The wife and son of late Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison make the list as they are collectively worth £295 million and Dhani is a musician, having been active since 2001. Olivia is not a musician but worked in the industry in marketing. When George Harrison died in 2001 he was estimated to be worth around £320 million.  

After beginning his career at McLaren, Dhani decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and began working on George’s Brainwashed album. He was later involved in three bands - Thenewno2, Traveling Wilburys, and Fistful of Mercy.

Sir Ringo Starr - £285 million

Yet another Beatle makes the list - drummer Ringo Starr continues to rake in millions each year from the band’s back catalogue and is recognised as the richest drummer of all time. As a solo artist, he has released 20 albums which has further inflated his net worth.

He also continues to perform live, making around £240,000 a night, and has performed hundreds of times over the last 20 years. Additionally, Ringo owns at least 75% of music publishing company Startling Music, which he founded in 1968.

Ed Sheeran - £260 million

Ed Sheeran, known for his numerically themed albums is the youngest self-made millionaire on the list. Most of his wealth comes from his four major albums, but he also has 50 million mostly Spotify listeners, and makes around £7 million per from on the platform.

Other sources of income include his tours - Sheeran has more than 1,000 tour dates under his belt so far - as well as merchandise sales, as well as his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records, launched in 2015, and his own bar, Bertie Blossoms, which he opened in Notting Hill in 2019.

Calvin Harris - £220 million

Calvin Harris is the richest DJ in the world right now - best known for his collaborations with Rihanna, Sam Smith, Pharrell, Katy Perry, and Dua Lipa, among others and had made an impressive £11 million from Spotify as of 2021.

He also gained a Las Vegas residency in 2018, where he was being paid around £320,000 per gig - over three years the residency was estimated to have netted the DJ about £160 million.