Beyoncé officially becomes billionaire after ‘exceptionally profitable’ run

The announcement was made on Monday by Forbes.

Earlier this month, the magazine renowned for tracking the world’s wealthiest individuals estimated Beyoncé’s net worth at $800m (£592m), predicting she would soon cross into billionaire territory after several exceptionally profitable years.

Nearly half of the 22 entertainer-billionaires identified by Forbes in recent years have achieved that status within the past three years, reflecting a rapidly shifting landscape in celebrity wealth accumulation.

Unlike Jay-Z, whose fortune stems from diverse business ventures, or Rihanna, who built much of her wealth through the Fenty Beauty empire, Beyoncé’s riches come overwhelmingly from her music career.

Her 2023 Renaissance World Tour generated close to $600m (£444m) in gross revenue, attracting more than 2.7 million fans across 56 performances in 39 cities.

The accompanying concert film, distributed through a direct agreement with AMC cinemas, earned $44m (£32m) globally at the box office, with Beyoncé reportedly receiving nearly half of that total.

Her 2025 Cowboy Carter tour proved equally lucrative, becoming the highest-grossing country tour ever recorded, according to Pollstar. Ticket sales surpassed $400m (£296m), with merchandise contributing an additional $50m (£37m).

Central to Beyoncé’s financial success is Parkwood Entertainment, the company she founded in 2010 to oversee virtually every aspect of her professional output.

The firm manages production across her recordings, live performances and documentary projects, shouldering upfront costs in exchange for a significantly larger share of returns.

This approach mirrors the strategy employed by Taylor Swift, who similarly maintains tight control over her career operations.

By keeping management in-house rather than partnering with major entertainment corporations, Beyoncé has positioned herself to retain far more of her earnings than artists operating under traditional industry structures.

The model has proved particularly effective for her stadium tours, where elaborate productions, featuring flying cars, robotic arms and guest appearances from family members and former Destiny’s Child bandmates, have justified premium ticket prices.

In a 2013 interview, Beyoncé outlined her philosophy on independence: “I felt like I wanted to follow the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire and show other women when you get to this point in your career you don’t have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success, you do it yourself.”

That determination has shaped her business decisions for more than a decade.

Rather than aligning with established management firms, she opted to build her own infrastructure from the ground up, a model that has since inspired a new generation of female artists seeking greater creative and financial autonomy.

Beyond touring, Beyoncé is reported to have earned $50m (£37m) for her halftime performance during Netflix’s inaugural Christmas Day NFL broadcast, which went on to win an Emmy.

A series of Levi’s advertising campaigns generated a further $10m (£7m), according to Forbes.

Crucially, the singer has retained ownership of her entire music catalogue, ensuring continued royalties and licensing income that most artists relinquish.

Forbes calculated her total pre-tax earnings for 2025 at $148m (£109m), making her the third highest-paid musician in the world.