Blake Shelton, Taylor Swift Among Top Paid Artists of 2021

Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift were notably among the world’s 10 highest-paid musicians for the year 2021, all of who collectively earned $2.3 billion.

Shelton, who sat at No. 9 with $83 million, was the only country star on the list. This host of The Voice made a majority of his earnings with the sale of his music catalog, aligning with the trend of a handful of other top-earners who sold the rights to much or all of their music last year.

Taylor Swift, who is in the process of re-releasing her country projects but isn’t considered a full country artist, landed at No. 10 having made $80 million. She earned her big bucks mostly through album sales with the re-recording of Red and Fearless, which were both in the top 5 of total sales in 2021. Swift also made it big through partnerships with notable brands like Peloton and Starbucks.

The biggest earner of 2021, Bruce Springsteen, trumped all others at $590 million with the priciest solo catalog sale in history.

See the full list of the top 10 World’s highest-earning musicians for 2021:

10. Taylor Swift, $80 million

9. Blake Shelton, $83 million

8. Mötley Crüe, $95 million

7. Lindsey Buckingham, $100 million

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers, $145 million

5. Ryan Tedder, $200 million

4. Kanye West, $250 million

3. Paul Simon, $260 million

2. Jay-Z, $470 million

1. Bruce Springsteen, $590 million

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