Overview
- Forbes measured pre-tax earnings for the period from October 2023 through October 2024.
- Jackson’s total was driven by a $600 million Sony deal for a 50% stake in his masters and publishing along with revenue from MJ: The Musical and a long-running Cirque du Soleil residency.
- Author Dr. Seuss ranked second at about $85 million on strong book sales and Netflix licensing.
- Pink Floyd co-founders Richard Wright and Syd Barrett earned about $81 million each after Sony’s reported $400 million catalog purchase.
- New or re-emerging entries included The Notorious B.I.G. at roughly $80 million and Miles Davis at about $21 million following rights deals.