Finance magazine Forbes have released their list of the world’s top-earning musicians, placing pop veteran Madonna at the top of the list, with Madge beating out Lady Gaga and taking home a reported $125 million for the 2013 fiscal, thanks in large part to ticket sales on her MDNA tour.
This year’s list serves as a potent indicator of where the money lies in today’s music industry, the top spots occupied by some of the world’s most notoriously hard-touring artists, with Madonna’s most recent tour netting a cool $300 million total for the workaholic performer.
Gaga’s tour helped her secure the silver and take home $80 million for her trouble. Bon Jovi has managed to channel memories of tears shed for his feathered locks into $79 million this year, while Oklahoma country star Toby Keith and UK megastars Coldplay rounded out the top five.
In the world of hip-hop, Beyoncé, who kicked off her ‘Mrs Carter World Tour’ this year, took home $10 million more than her husband Jay-Z, with the diva earning $53 million, while Dr Dre‘s audio gear line helped him take home $40 million without a record release or tour.
Meanwhile the time when dance music was relegated to leaky warehouse parties and basement raves has truly passed, with Tiesto coming in just below the top 25 with $32 million, while Scottish EDM superstar Calvin Harris took home $46 million––more than Muse or One Direction.
Readers can check out the full top 25, below.
01. Madonna – $125m
02. Lady Gaga – $80m
03. Bon Jovi – $79m
04. Toby Keith – $65m
05. Coldplay – $64m
06. Bruce Springsteen – $62m
07. Justin Bieber – $58m
08. Taylor Swift – $55m
09. Elton John – $54m
10. Beyoncé – $53m
11. Kenny Chesney – $53m
12. Diddy – $50 million
13. Paul McCartney – $47 million
14. Calvin Harris – $46 million
15. Jennifer Lopez – $45 million
16. Roger Waters – $44 million
17. Muse – $43 million
18. Rihanna – $43 million
19. Jay Z – $42 million
20. One Direction – $42 million
21. Dr. Dre – $40 million
22. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $40 million
23. The Rolling Stones – $39 million
24. Katy Perry – $39 million
25. Tim McGraw – $33 million
(Via The Guardian)
