A Billboard report has revealed the highest-paid musicians and artists of 2020 with many of Hip-Hop’s favorites topping the list.
Despite the pandemic hiatus in which several tours had to suffer cancellations, some of the biggest music stars were still able to stay afloat in making millions of dollars in their endeavors.
“For the first time in the history of Money Makers, concert revenue did not determine the No. 1 spot on the list — and because of the pandemic had little influence over the ranking in general,” Billboard reports.
The list of highest-paid artists was created based on data from the 2020 U.S.-only MRC Data and Billboard Boxscore statistics. The methodology is mostly based on artists’ streaming and publishing, excluding revenue from merchandising, synchronization or livestream gigs.
However, Hip-Hop stars like Drake, Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Lil Uzi Vert, DaBaby, Future, Roddy Ricch, Rod Wave, Kanye West and Travis Scott have a place in the ranking list. Also, The Weeknd appeared on the No. 11 spot of the list with $10.4 million.
According to Billboard, this year’s list of highest-paid musicians sees more inclusion of Hip-Hop artists than ever before with Drake placed at No. 6 with $14.2 million, YoungBoy Never Broke Again appearing for the first time at No. 9 with $11.9 million — making $10 million off streaming alone — and Lil Baby taking the 10th spot with $11.7 million.
Although the music industry suffered a heavy blow from the pandemic, streaming was its saving grace as many artists were able to make money through platforms like Verzuz.
The live streaming platform has quickly become a phenomenal in music most recently, providing a space to give artists their honors and entertain fans around the world. Since officially launching at the wake of the pandemic in 2020, Verzuz has secured partnerships with major brands such as Apple Music, Peloton, Ciroc, and Triller through an acquisition deal.
