Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Recommended reading
Quiet Riot
Artists “If you guys can deliver a strong performance of Cum On Feel The Noize, you’ve got a deal”: How Quiet Riot got to No.1
Graham Bonnet
Artists “Some of the guys never wanted to do that song. ‘This is crap!’”: The ’70s hit that reinvented a legendary band
Ozzy in 2003
Artists “Spend a day in my head and you’d realise how crazy I really am”: A close encounter with Ozzy Osbourne
Field Music and The Doors
Bands “We can fill a hole in our dire finances”: Mercury nominated Field Music are now a Doors tribute act
Corey Taylor of Slipknot performs in concert during Resurrection Fest on June 28, 2025 in Viveiro, Spain
Bands Slipknot eyeing up a £120 million catalogue sale to investment firm
Alcatrazz in 1983
Artists “Yngwie would walk in front of me going widdle-widdle-widdle. It was very rude”: A great singer's fights with Malmsteen
Ian Anderson
Singers & Songwriters "Didn’t set the bar very high in terms of vocal skills”: Which rock legend could Ian Anderson be talking about?
  1. Artists
  2. Singers & Songwriters

The 20 richest lead singers in the world

News
By Rob Power published 10 September 2012

They strut, they scream - and they coin it in

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

20 Richest Lead Singers

20 Richest Lead Singers

Every band needs a singer. At the very least they need to be able to hold a tune in a bucket, but the very best can whip a crowd up into a frenzy and look good doing it. While the rest of the band toils away behind them, putting in the hard yards required to bring both the rock and the roll, the singer is at the front taking all the glory and, as it turns out, all the cash.

According to the folks at Celebrity Networth, these are the singers that have amassed the greatest fortunes on the back of good looks, a decent voice and hips that don't lie. The calculations that follow are based on publicly available information (including sources such as Forbes and The Sunday Times) and include salaries and real estate holdings. The final totals include deductions for taxes, manager and agent fees, and lifestyle.

It's almost enough to make you want to step behind the mic yourself...

Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
Sammy Hagar (Van Halen)

Sammy Hagar (Van Halen)

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
Anthony Keidis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Anthony Keidis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)

Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
James Hetfield (Metallica)

James Hetfield (Metallica)

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
David Bowie

David Bowie

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)

Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Prince

Prince

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)

Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
Phil Collins

Phil Collins

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
Sting (The Police)

Sting (The Police)

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)

Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
Elton John

Elton John

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
Bono (U2)

Bono (U2)

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
Rob Power
Read more
Quiet Riot
“If you guys can deliver a strong performance of Cum On Feel The Noize, you’ve got a deal”: How Quiet Riot got to No.1
Graham Bonnet
“Some of the guys never wanted to do that song. ‘This is crap!’”: The ’70s hit that reinvented a legendary band
Ozzy in 2003
“Spend a day in my head and you’d realise how crazy I really am”: A close encounter with Ozzy Osbourne
Field Music and The Doors
“We can fill a hole in our dire finances”: Mercury nominated Field Music are now a Doors tribute act
Corey Taylor of Slipknot performs in concert during Resurrection Fest on June 28, 2025 in Viveiro, Spain
Slipknot eyeing up a £120 million catalogue sale to investment firm
Alcatrazz in 1983
“Yngwie would walk in front of me going widdle-widdle-widdle. It was very rude”: A great singer's fights with Malmsteen
Latest in Singers & Songwriters
Bruce Springsteen in 1975
"I wanted to make the greatest rock record that I'd ever heard": How Bruce Springsteen saved his career with Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
“There’s a lot of good music left”: Springsteen releases Born To Run out-take onto streaming platforms
Pino Palladino and Miley Cyrus
How Pino Palladino turned the demo bassline in Miley Cyrus’s End of the World into something "so much better"
Bowie in 1974
“When Bowie lived with me, he said, 'You gotta keep changing’”: The singer whose band stopped him recording with Bowie
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 18: Gryffin performs on stage during Preakness LIVE At Preakness 149 hosted by 1/ST in the Infield at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images for 1/ST )
EDM DJ Gryffin on the moment he learned he’d been duped into performing with a fake Justin Bieber
Calvin Harris and Miley Cyrus
Calvin Harris shuts down talk of a feud with Miley Cyrus after teasing a new song
Latest in News
Bruce Springsteen
“There’s a lot of good music left”: Springsteen releases Born To Run out-take onto streaming platforms
Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno
“A strange new land with a human living and feeling its way through its mysterious spaces”: Welcome to Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe’s new album
Josh Homme
What’s on Josh Homme’s to-do list when Queens Of The Stone Age play Sheffield next week?
Pino Palladino and Miley Cyrus
How Pino Palladino turned the demo bassline in Miley Cyrus’s End of the World into something "so much better"
Paul Mccartney Smoking A Cigarette At London In England On June 19Th 1967
“We decided that our audiences would come along with us”: Paul McCartney on how the avant garde influenced the Beatles
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform at Parco Della Musica on July 22, 2025 in Milan, Italy
The Who are forced to postpone Philly date on final US tour due to “illness”

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...