World’s 10 Richest Recording Artists: Madonna Holds Sway on Top

There are wealthy businessmen, and there are rich Hollywood stars. Then there are the money-laden recording artists, which this year is led by none other than the Material Girl herself, who is worth $800 million.

"At 56 years old, Madonna has had an illustrious career in the music industry over the past three decades, selling over 300 million records worldwide and inking a series of lucrative contract deals, including a US$120 million contract with Live Nation in 2007," Wealth-X revealed. "The 'Queen of Pop' has also ventured into other industries such as filmmaking, fashion, and children's books."

This is not the first time that the 56-year-old artist has topped "richest" lists. Last year, Forbes hailed Madge as the richest recording artist of them all, valuing her earnings at $125 million.

"The bulk of Madge's millions this year come from the tail end of her MDNA Tour, which grossed $305 million. Madonna augments her income with heady merchandise sales at concerts as well as her Material Girl clothing line and Truth or Dare fragrance," the finance and business news source said.

Looks like the girl's still got it after all these years.

Coming in second is another music industry veteran, Paul McCartney.

"Being a member of The Beatles shot him to fame, but McCartney's time with the band only brought him $7 million," CNN noted. "Now, thanks to a successful solo career, the music legend is worth an estimated $660 million."

Dr. Dre comes at a close third, with his high placement on the list compiled by Wealth-X down to the purchase of his Beats Electronics company for $3 billion. It is estimated that the rapper "pocketed US$630 million from the Beats deal, before taxes."

Sean John "Diddy" Combs comes fourth with $640 million. "The Harlem-born rapper turned entrepreneur is involved in many different business ventures off the stage, including recently-launched music cable network Revolt TV and a strategic alliance with Ciroc vodka," CNN said.

Celine continues to rake in a fortune despite not releasing an album this year. This is thanks largely to her Las Vegas stint, which will see her performing in Sin City until 2019.

Bono took sixth place with $590, while Mariah Carey is estimated to be worth $520 million.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z's no. 8 placement is due to the estimated $510 million fortune he's amassed through his various business ventures.

Sir Elton John comes in 9^th with $450 million, while Beyonce, who is the youngest recording artist on the top 10 list, is at 10^th place with $440 million.