Forbes Puts Paul McCartney at $1.4 Billion, Making Him the Third-Wealthiest Musician

Paul McCartney, who formerly performed with the Beatles, has joined the ranks of global billionaires after Forbes estimated his net worth at $1.4 billion and ranked him third among the world's wealthiest musicians. His fortune trails hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z, who leads at $2.8 billion, and Taylor Swift, who is second at $2 billion. Forbes credits McCartney's milestone to roughly six decades of songwriting, calculated corporate purchases, and a broad range of personal holdings. Although the Beatles achieved worldwide fame in the 1960s, the group saw little financial gain from its first recording deals. In a 2017 essay about the band's early royalty arrangements, McCartney wrote, "No matter how successful we made the company, we didn’t get a raise." To gain direct control over his creative output, McCartney founded MPL Communications in 1969. The publishing company oversees his own catalog as well as rights it has acquired to thousands of other songs, among them works by rock pioneer Buddy Holly, holiday standards, and classic Broadway scores. Beyond publishing, the Beatles' holding company, Apple Corps, still brings in more than $50 million each year from streaming, physical sales, and merchandise. McCartney's personal portion of Beatles songwriting copyrights produces an estimated $10 million a year. His assets also include substantial property in the United Kingdom and North America and a private art collection.