Beck — $25 million
A child of the 70’s, Beck took a liking to hip-hop and folk and started to perform at coffeehouses and clubs around L.A. In the 1980’s, he moved to NYC and became involved in the anti-folk movement. After moving back to L.A. in the 90’s, he debuted his breakthrough single “Loser,” which became a global hit. Soon after that, he released his first major album, Mellow Gold.
With a variety of musical styles under his belt, unique and ironic lyrics, drum machines, live instruments and wild effects, Beck has been named among the most creative musicians of the 90’s and 2000’s. Two of Beck’s recordings were ranked on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. He is also a four time platinum artist and many of his songs have been used as soundtracks.
John Mayer — $40 million
John Mayer enrolled in Berkeley College of Music in Boston, but dropped out and moved to Atlanta with his pal, Clay Cook. Mayer and Cook formed a band called Lo-Fi Masters. They soon split, but Mayer continued to play at clubs and gain a loyal band of followers. After a performance at South by Southwest, he got signed to Columbia Records, which released his first EP. Two of his following albums -Room for Squares (2001) and Heavier Things (2003), gained multi-platinum status. In 2003, John won the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards, for the single “Your Body Is a Wonderland”.
Mayer doesn’t stop there. He dabbles in television hosting, comedy, and writing; he has written for magazines such as Esquire. He supports various causes and has performed at many benefits.