Katy Perry Sells the Rights to Her Catalog for a Major Sum
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Katy Perry's net worth in 2023 comes from more than a decade of pop stardom—and she may actually be making more money today even though she's not selling many records anymore.
Sales-wise, Perry peaked with the record-shattering Teenage Dream, which debuted at No. 1 and sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. In 2011, Perry became only the second artist after the King of Pop Michael Jackson himself to have five No. 1 singles from a single album thanks to the success of Teenage Dream and its later edition, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection.
Since she peaked so highly, it's been hard to match that level of success: Prism sold 4 million copies and was bolstered by the success of "Roar," then somewhat derailed by the cultural appropriation and alleged racism of follow-up singles and videos for "Dark Horse" and "This Is How We Do" and the antisemitic tropes in the "Birthday" video.
In 2017, Perry released Witness with lead single "Chained to the Rhythm" and claimed she wanted to usher in an era of "purposeful pop," but unfortunately, it was more like a purposeful flop compared to her prior work, selling only 840,000 copies to date. (To be clear, that is a lot! But compared to Perry's previous albums, it's paltry.) It was also Perry's first album that didn't feature production by Dr. Luke, likely due to backlash from his legal battles with Kesha, who accused him of drugging and raping her. (Dr. Luke has steadfastly denied the allegations.)
Perry's most recent album, Smile, dropped August 2020 after the birth of daughter, Daisy, with partner Orlando Bloom. It's been Perry's poorest album in terms of commercial sales, clocking in at about 87,000 globally.
That said, Perry's music is still quite lucrative: She sold the rights to her catalog for $225 million in September 2023. Because she isn't the sole songwriter on most of her tracks, it's not entirely clear how much of a cut she'll get to keep of that sum, but it's safe to say she can buy a lot of Harleys in Hawaii with that kind of cash.
How did Katy Perry become famous?
Perry started her career when she was a teen as contemporary Christian rock singer Katy Hudson. Her debut self-titled album, released in 2001, sold only 200 copies before her label shuttered.
She moved to Los Angeles when she was 17 to work with producer Glen Ballard, who helped propel Alanis Morissette to icon status. It was around this time that Perry adopted her "Katy Perry" stage name in an effort to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson. (Perry is her mom's maiden name.)
Perry was signed to and dropped from several labels in the following years, with songs from what would have been her Columbia Records debut Fingerprints going to Kelly Clarkson ("Long Shot" and "I Do Not Hook Up") and Selena Gomez & The Scene ("Rock God"). She didn't let the setbacks stop her, and in 2005, her song "Simple" was featured on the soundtrack to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She sang background vocals for Mick Jagger and P.O.D. and appeared in the music video for then-boyfriend Travie McCoy's band Gym Class Heroes' "Cupid's Chokehold" in 2006.
In 2007, Perry got signed to Capitol Records, and her single "Ur So Gay" went viral (thanks in part to Madonna, who praised it), despite many considering it to be wildly offensive. She followed with the queerbaiting "I Kissed a Girl," co-written by Dr. Luke, in April 2008, which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album, One of the Boys, was released that June, and the success of its singles like "Hot N Cold," "Waking Up in Vegas" and "Thinking of You" and made her a certified pop star.
Related: Kelly Clarkson's Net Worth
What is Katy Perry's net worth in 2023?
Katy Perry's net worth in 2023 is estimated at $330 million.
This obviously comes largely from the mega-sales in her musical peak and her tours through the years, but also from the extensive branding and endorsement deals she's snagged throughout her career. She's worked with Walmart, Cover Girl, Proactiv, H&M, Adidas, Claire's, OPI and Pepsi, to name a few. She even joked at the 2013 Grammys that while she was never nominated for Best New Artist, she went on to have her own line of faux eyelashes—and her own fragrances and shoe line as well.
Related: Lady Gaga's Net Worth
How much does Katy Perry make per concert?
For a typical concert, Perry likely makes at least hundreds of thousands of dollars when you factor in merchandise sales and ticket grosses, but those sums dwindled in recent years: Her Witness world tour saw far fewer sold-out shows than her previous California Dreams, Prismatic and Hello Katy tours, though her Las Vegas residency Play performed well (more on that later).
For a private concert, however, she's reportedly commanded as much as $1.9 million.
Related: Billie Eilish's Net Worth Revealed
How much does Katy Perry make a year?
Perry's annual salary varies depending on her projects and release schedule. That said, since becoming a judge on American Idol in 2018, she's made a lot of bank. In fact, Forbes estimated that she made $38.5 million in 2020 alone—you know, when the world was basically shut down, meaning in an average year without a global pandemic, she probably makes even more.
Related: Carrie Underwood's Net Worth From American Idol to Country Royalty
How much does Katy Perry get paid for American Idol?
When Perry got started on American Idol in 2018, she got a $25 million salary—the highest of any judge in the history of the show's two iterations.
When reports of her American Idol salary went public, Perry confirmed the rumors.
"I'm really proud that as a woman, I got paid," she said at the time. "I got paid like, more than like any guy that's ever been on that show. And by the way, I love men, so I'm a paid woman and I'm ready for a beautiful man."
It's unknown if she's gotten a raise since then, but even if she didn't, she's made at least $175 million from American Idol alone across seven seasons.
Related: Ryan Seacrest's Net Worth and How Much He Made for American Idol
How much does Katy Perry make for her Las Vegas residency?
Perry's payday for her Play Las Vegas residency isn't publicly known, but we do know that other stars with residencies in Sin City, including Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, can take home an estimated $300,000 to $350,000 per night. Perry's take-home was probably in a similar range.
Her residency began in December 2021, and according to Billboard, by February 2022, Perry's shows had already sold 32,000 tickets and grossed $7 million. The venture was so successful that she kept adding dates, taking the end of the residency from March 2023 to November of that year.
Related: Taylor Swift's Net Worth
How much does Katy Perry charge for a meet and greet?
Perry reportedly charged a whopping $2,499 for meet and greets at her Las Vegas residency shows—and that amount didn't even include the cost of the tickets to the actual performances.
