Who do you think earned the highest amount of money this year?
Many of us would think that the new pop stars made the biggest bucks this year like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or One Direction even though they have made millions of dollars that is nothing compared to the amount that the names on the list earned.
Justin Biber reportedly made $ 55 Million through 2012. The Canadian crooner released his third studio album, launched a world tour and continued investing in start-ups, adding to a portfolio that includes stakes in Spotify, Tinychat and others.
The fact is that the $55 Million that he earned is only half of what the number 1 artist on the list made last year.
Yeah you have read it right DR. Dre made an astonishing $110 Million in 12 months thank to his Bead by Dr. Dre headphone line. He collected $100 million pretax when handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year, at the beginning of our scoring period; he and his partners later bought back half of what they sold Yahoo reported.
Pink Floyd rocker Roger Waters ranks second with $88 million.
Elton John claims the third spot with $80 million.
U2 ranks fourth, pulling in $78 million,
Take That rounds out the top five with $69 million.
Other highlights on the list include Toby Keith, who tied Bieber for tenth with $55 million. With his Ford sponsorship now on its second decade and his I Love This Bar And Grill restaurant chain booming, Keith was the top earner among all country artists—unless you count crossover star Taylor Swift, who earned $57 million, same as Paul McCartney. Coldplay and Adele continue the British trend, claiming the 21st and 22nd slots with $37 million and $35 million, respectively. Eight of the top 25 acts hail from England or Ireland.
That success extends to Anglophiles as well: Jay-Z and Beyoncé, both close friends of Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, combined to earn $78 million. The former Destiny’s Child diva is one of just eight ladies on the list, but Beyoncé’s song “Run The World (Girls)” still rings true—despite welcoming baby Blue Ivy earlier this year, she still out-earned her husband by $2 million.
