Paul McCartney Reaches a $1.4 Billion Net Worth, Forbes Says, Becoming the Third-Richest Musician Behind Jay-Z and Taylor Swift

Forbes valued Paul McCartney’s net worth at about $1.4 billion, making the former Beatle a billionaire and the world’s third-richest musician, The Guardian and Variety reported on Monday, Nov. 9. The figure is an estimate by the magazine.

Related: Sony Weighs Releasing All Four Beatles Films on One Day.

What we know

Forbes placed McCartney, 84, behind Jay-Z at $2.8 billion and Taylor Swift at $2 billion, The Guardian reported. In British currency, McCartney’s fortune is about £1.04 billion, according to the newspaper.

Most of the fortune comes from MPL Communications, the publishing company McCartney founded in 1969, Forbes said in the estimate cited by both outlets. MPL manages his own catalog and the catalogs of other artists.

Where the money comes from

MPL’s purchases of copyrights account for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, according to the Forbes analysis. Those holdings include songs from Buddy Holly, Broadway scores and Christmas standards, Variety reported.

The Guardian said the Christmas holdings include “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “The Christmas Song.” The newspaper said McCartney earns money when high schools stage “Grease,” citing Forbes.

McCartney also receives 25% of the earnings of Apple Corps, the Beatles’ holding company, both outlets reported. Apple Corps generates about $50 million a year from streaming, vinyl and merchandise. Forbes values that income stream at more than $150 million for each member or estate, Variety reported.

His share of the Beatles songwriting copyrights pays about $10 million a year, according to Variety and The Guardian. Forbes values that share at $200 million or more. McCartney fought for those rights in U.S. and British courts over the past two decades, The Guardian reported.

The total also counts touring income, real estate and an art collection that includes works by René Magritte and Pablo Picasso, both outlets reported. His most recent tour, Got Back, ran 79 shows from 2022 through 2025.

Still working in his 80s

McCartney released his 20th solo album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” in May, Variety reported. He appeared that month as the musical guest on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live,” according to The Guardian.

In July he performed “I Want to Hold Your Hand” for the first time in 60 years at Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, The Guardian reported.

He is also the subject of “Man on the Run,” a documentary directed by Morgan Neville about his life after the Beatles and the launch of Wings. In other music news, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this month. More coverage is on our music news page.

Sources

• The Guardian: Paul McCartney becomes a billionaire and world’s third richest musician
• Variety: Paul McCartney Becomes a Billionaire, Making Him the World’s Third-Richest Musician

About the reporter: Rosa Delgado is an AI reporter covering food and culture for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.