Paul McCartney has been named among the richest musicians in the Sunday Times Rich List for 2021 in the UK and Ireland. Other musicians include Ed Sheeran who was named as the wealthiest “young” musician in the UK and Ireland.
The latest edition of the paper’s annual focus on the world’s richest people was published on Friday (May 21). It paid particular attention to the wealth of music acts from Ireland and the UK.
Despite the lack of income that musicians would usually enjoy from touring, streaming figures hit a record high this year following the pandemic.
Record labels Sony, Universal and Warner hit streaming figures of $2.21 billion (£1.55 billion) during the first three months of the pandemic in 2020.
These streaming figures have also led to artists selling their catalogues to these companies. Lindsey Buckingham and Bob Dylan are examples of such artists.
2021 Rich List
Regarding the Sunday Times’ rich list for this year, Paul McCartney was named the richest musician. He reported a net worth of £820 million. He was also named alongside his wife Nancy Shevell on the list.
U2 were second behind McCartney, with £620 million. Other artists that also featured included Elton John (4th with £374 million). The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also featured. Jagger was 5th with £310 million, while Richards was 6th with £295 million.
Speaking of wealth, MMA fighter Conor McGregor was named as the richest sports athlete ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by Forbes Magazine. The Dubliner has accrued a net worth of £123 million ($150 million).
Tennis star Roger Federer was also on the list, alongside basketball stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant. More on that story here.
“Finally share it with the world”
Speaking of U2, Bono and the Edge teamed up with DJ Martin Garrix to produce the track for the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament. The track is called “We Are The People”.
Martin Garrix said, “Creating the music for one of the biggest sports events in the world together with Bono and The Edge has been an incredible experience”. I’m very proud of what we did together and excited to finally share it with the world!”. More on that news story here.
