Lang Lang Highest-Paid Pianist in the World

By Carol Kearney
Beijing
Last updated on April 1, 2025

Lang Lang led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid pianists” released on Monday.

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It's been a rough year for the pianist, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 42-year-old Lang Lang has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid pianists for 2025 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 01/04/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Lang Lang tops annual list of highest-paid pianists

In 2022 it looked like the pianist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (March 31) that Lang is the highest-paid pianist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between March 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Chinese pianist has an estimated net worth of $215 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Lang Burger” chain) in Beijing, a Football Team (the “Shenyang Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderlang - China), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Lang) and a fashion line called “Lang Lang Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Lang fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.