Country music could be about to produce its richest artist in history — and it would happen not through tours or streaming, but through a single extraordinary deal. Garth Brooks is reportedly considering selling his music catalog and is seeking approximately $2 billion for the rights to his songs and recordings, according to recent reports citing the Wall Street Journal. If he gets close to that figure, Brooks would leapfrog Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, and potentially even Jay-Z to become one of the wealthiest musicians alive.
Brooks currently sits third on the country music net worth list with an estimated $400 million — behind Dolly Parton at $650 million and Beyoncé, who crossed the $1 billion threshold earlier this year to become the richest country-associated artist in the world, even if her genre credentials remain contested among traditional fans. A successful catalog sale at or near the $2 billion mark would vault Brooks well past all of them and place him among the handful of musicians who have ever accumulated that level of wealth.
ALSO READ: BTS, Cardi B, Lainey Wilson and More Headline the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas
Why a $2 Billion Valuation Is Not as Outrageous as It Sounds
The catalog sale market has produced eye-watering numbers in recent years. Sony purchased Queen’s publishing rights for $1 billion in 2024. Half of Michael Jackson‘s catalog fetched over $1 billion in a separate transaction. Brooks has spent more than three decades producing some of the best-selling country music in history — his long list of hits, his record-breaking tours, and the enduring commercial appeal of his recordings give him genuine grounds to seek a premium valuation.
The broader landscape of musician net worth provides useful context. Taylor Swift sits at $2.1 billion, built through music, touring, and her ongoing re-recording project. Paul McCartney has an estimated fortune of $1.3 billion. Bruce Springsteen reached $1.17 billion. Rihanna, whose wealth is now largely built on her Fenty beauty and fashion empire rather than music alone, sits at approximately $1.03 billion. Jay-Z remains at the top of the musician wealth rankings with $2.53 billion, though much of that is derived from business ventures well beyond music.
For now, country music’s internal rankings look quite different. Parton’s $650 million reflects not just Jolene and her legendary catalogue of hits, but a successful acting career, a series of books, and multiple product lines. Beyoncé‘s $1 billion includes her hair care brand, a whiskey label, a clothing line, and a touring operation that generated over $400 million in gross ticket sales from her Cowboy Carter Tour alone — plus an estimated $50 million in merchandise. Her musical earnings alone were approximately $125 million in 2025, making her the third-highest-paid musician in the world that year.
Whether Brooks secures the full $2 billion or something closer to it, the move reflects a broader industry trend of veteran artists monetising their back catalogs while demand from streaming platforms and publishing companies remains high. The question is whether any buyer will match his asking price — and how close to the top of the global wealth rankings a deal would take him.
Stay informed. Subscribe to the JournalTodays Newsletter for the latest music industry news, celebrity wealth stories, and entertainment coverage delivered straight to your inbox.
