Forbes has published a list of the top-earning musicians of 2013, and leading the way with a mammoth total of $125 million earned is none other than Madonna. Forbes points to the success of her MDNA world tour, as well as other major revenue streams like concert merchandise, her Material Girl clothing line, and her Truth or Dare fragrance.
Lady Gaga placed at number two, bringing in $80 million over the last year. Bon Jovi came in at three with $79 million, and Coldplay took home a cool $64 million, good enough for fifth on the list
Other notables include Beyoncé ($53 million); Paul McCartney ($47 million); Roger Waters ($44 million); Muse ($43 million); and Jay Z ($42 million). Somehow, DJ Calvin Harris made $46 million, and Dr. Dre — who’s still considered as a musician, I guess — earned $40 million. And next time your friends tells you Red Hot Chili Peppers are irrelevant, remind them they made $40 million in 2013.
In order to form their list, Forbes “looked at income from June 1st, 2012 through June 1st, 2013, using data sources including Pollstar, the RIAA, Nielsen SoundScan, managers, lawyers and many of the artists themselves. We took into account concert ticket sales, royalties for recorded music and publishing, merchandise sales, endorsement deals and other business ventures. Our estimates reflect pretax income before deducting fees for agents, managers and lawyers; only living artists are eligible for the list.”
Here’s the full list:
01. Madonna – $125 million
02. Lady Gaga – $80 million
03. Bon Jovi – $79 million
04. Toby Keith – $65 million
05. Coldplay – $64 million
06. Justin Bieber – $58 million
07. Taylor Swift – $55 million
08. Elton John – $54 million
09. Beyonce – $53 million
09. Kenny Chesney – $53 million
11. Diddy – $50 million
12. Paul McCartney – $47 million
13. Calvin Harris – $46 million
14. Jennifer Lopez – $45 million
15. Roger Waters – $44 million
16. Muse – $43 million
16. Rihanna – $43 million
18. Jay Z – $42 million
18. One Direction – $42 million
20. Dr. Dre – $40 million
20. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $40 million
22. The Rolling Stones – $39 million
22. Katy Perry – $39 million
24. Tim McGraw – $33 million
25. Pink – $32 million
25. Tiësto – $32 million
