Last year was an exceptional year to be Blake Shelton for more reasons than one.
Not only did the “Come Back as a Country Boy” singer marry his long-time love, Gwen Stefani, release two albums, complete a successful tour ahead of the Omicron wave, reveal a Las Vegas location for his Ole Red restaurant chain, and wrap the 21st season of “The Voice,” he earned a paycheck to match his busy schedule.
“Rolling Stone” recently reported the world’s 10 highest-paid musicians for 2021. At No. 9, Shelton was the only country star on the list. Taylor Swift, who is in the process of re-releasing her country projects but isn’t considered a country artist, landed at No. 10.
The Top 10 list of artists collected $2.3 billion in 2021, a figure “Rolling Stone” said is double what they made in the years immediately before COVID-19.
Shelton’s hefty paycheck, as well as several others on the list, is due in large part to the sale of his music catalog. Swift’s comes from album sales. The re-recording of “Red” and “Fearless” ended 2021 at No. 2 and No. 4 in total sales for the year, and partnerships including Peloton and Starbucks boosted her further.
Bruce Springsteen’s chart-topping $590 million year dwarfed the rest. The $550 million sale of his publishing copyrights and master recordings to Sony earned the distinction as the priciest solo catalog sale in history.
Top 10 Word’s Highest Earning Musicians for 2021:
10. Taylor Swift ($80 million)
9. Blake Shelton ($83 million)
8. Motley Crue ($95 million)
