Forbes Releases List Of The World's Highest Paid Musicians In 2012

30 November 2012

Forbes have just released their annual list of the years highest paid musicians and as expected, producer/headphone salesman Dr. Dre sits right on top.

The hip-hop heavyweight leads this year with $110 million, largely thanks to his Beats headphones. He collected $100 million (pre-tax) when HTC paid him a whopping $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year. Dre and his partners have since bought half of what they sold back.

“The brands are so aligned, Dre and Beats, it’s just who he is,” says Kevin Liles, former president of Def Jam Recordings. “If you look at the biggest earners, the guys have been doing it for 20 years … what’s happening now is people are really telling their truth."

Last year's highest-paid musicians U2 dropped to the No. 4 spot this year with earnings of $78 million. Most surprisingly 90s British boy band Take That, rounded off the top five with $69 million, earned from an 8 date string at London's Wembley Stadium (the highest-grossing single stadium tour to date).

The top of the list is otherwise dominated by the likes of Roger Waters, Elton John, U2, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber. We're just happy there's no sign of "Gangnam Style" producer Psy.

You can see the list for yourself below:

01. Dr Dre – $110 Million
02. Roger Waters – $88 Million
03. Elton John – $80 Million
04. U2 – $78 Million
05. Take That – $69 Million
06. Bon Jovi – $60 Million
07. Britney Spears – $58 Million
08. Paul McCartney – $57 Million (tie)
08. Taylor Swift – $57 Million (tie)
10. Justin Bieber – $55 Million (tie)
10. Toby Keith – $55 Million (tie)
12. Rihanna – $53 Million
13. Lady GaGa – $52 Million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 Million
15. Diddy – $45 Million (tie)
15. Katy Perry – $45 Million (tie)
17. Kenny Chesney – $44 Million
18. Beyoncé – $40 Million
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 Million
20. Jay-Z – $38 Million
21. Coldplay – $37 Million
22. Adele – $35 Million (tie)
22. Kanye West – $35 Million (tie)
24. Michael Bublé – $34 Million
25. Sade – $33 Million

Tags

Share

Join Our Mailing List