HIGHEST PAID MUSICIANS

[Aamir Butt]

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30. Drake ($38.5 million)

Canadian rapper had best music sales of anyone not named Adele, thanks to albumViews. Juiced total with live shows and checks from Sprite, Nike and Apple.

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29. Jennifer Lopez ($39.5 million)

Jenny From The Block rocked Las Vegas residency—and deals with L’Oreal, Endless Jewelry and her own fragrance.

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28. Mumford & Sons ($40 million)

Grammy-winning folk rock band played nearly 100 shows in cities from Chicago to Cape Town in the wake of albumWilder Mind.

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27. Jimmy Buffett ($40.5 million)

Singer isn’t wasting Margaritaville—instead, cashed in on Parrothead empire and still finds time to tour (27 dates in our scoring period).

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25. Katy Perry ($41 million, tie)

Made the list on the strength of $204 million Prismatic World Tour’s tail end. Banked additional millions from H&M, Claire’s and CoverGirl endorsements.

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25. Dr. Dre ($41 million, tie)

Still cashing in on Apple’s Beats buyout; also released first album in over a decade and executive-produced NWA biopicStraight Outta Compton.

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24. Elton John ($42 million)

Blasted onto list with 94 gigs in our scoring period, along with checks from work as songwriter and composer for moonshots likeThe Lion King.

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23. Bigbang ($44 million)

Seoul-based boy band clocked biggest year ever for a K-Pop act, thanks to record sales and arena shows in Asia and beyond.

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22. Toby Keith ($47.5 million)

Country crooner filled his Red Solo cup with money: touring, endorsements (Ford), and his own ventures (Wild Shot Mezcal, I Love This Bar & Grill).

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21. Foo Fighters ($48.5 million)

Dave Grohl’s broken leg didn’t derail Seattle rockers’ Sonic Highways tour—frontman performed seated and fans still turned out in droves.

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20. Muse ($49 million)

British rock band may not have name recognition of Drake or J.Lo, but topped both in earnings, thanks to Grammy-winning albumDronesand ensuing tour.

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19. Luke Bryan ($53 million)

Country star banked double-digit millions from Kill The Lights Tour, additional cash from lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Miller Lite and Cabela’s.

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18. Jay Z ($53.5 million)

Multifaceted mogul didn’t play many shows or release a new album, but cashed in on ventures including Armand de Brignac, D'Ussé and Roc Nation.

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17. Beyoncé ($54 million)

Turned betrayal intoLemonade--her sixth No. 1 album--but still makes bulk of her bucks on the road: Formation World Tour grossed nearly $5 million per city.

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15. The Weeknd ($55 million, tie)

Last year'sBeauty Behind The Madnessmade The Weeknd a mainstream pop star and an arena act. This year’sStarboyis poised to launch him to new galaxies.

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15. U2 ($55 million, tie)

Cash from latest tour, Innocence+Experience, pales in comparison to its record-breaking 360 Tour, which grossed $700 million. Still, not bad for 40-year-old band.

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13. Kenny Chesney ($56 million, tie)

Country mainstay sold out same stadiums as Taylor Swift and the Rolling Stones while shilling Corona beer and his own Blue Chair Bay rum.

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13. Justin Bieber ($56 million, tie)

Comeback albumPurpose—along with ensuing arena tour—propelled erstwhile bad boy back into upper reaches of our list.

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12. Paul McCartney ($56.5 million)

Spent more time on road during our scoring period than Katy Perry or Beyoncé—each of whom is less than half his age—en route to a bigger payday than either.

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11. Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million)

Still pulls in tens of millions on the road with The E Street Band, most recently his The River tour, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of his first No. 1 album.

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10. Diddy ($62 million)

Makes most of his bucks from outrageously lucrative deal with Diageo's Ciroc vodka and other non-musical ventures; still had time for Bad Boy Reunion Tour this year.

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9. Calvin Harris ($63 million)

World’s highest-paid DJ made most of his money off Las Vegas gigs, but continues to put out hits like "This Is What You Came For” with listmate Rihanna.

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8. Rolling Stones ($66.5 million)

Played just 27 shows during our scoring period, many in American football stadiums, yet out-earned whippersnappers like Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.

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7. AC/DC ($67.5 million)

No frontman? No problem. Rockers replaced ailing singer Brian Johnson with Guns N' Roses’ Axl Rose; the former may return next year.

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6. Garth Brooks ($70 million)

Comeback tour began in 2014, set to stretch into 2017; total gross has soared well into nine-figure territory.

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5. Rihanna ($75 million)

Scored her 21st top five single, tying Elvis Presley’s chart record; padded totals through endorsement deals with Dior, Puma, Samsung and Stance.

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4. Madonna ($76.5 million)

Rebel Heart tour grossed $170 million, bringing career total on the road to $1.4 billion pretax; made additional millions on perfume and clothing.

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3. Adele ($80.5 million)

Actually made most of her money on album sales—and grossed millions per night for arena shows, resulting in highest annual earnings total of her career.

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2. One Direction ($110 million)

Top-earning boyband of all time is now on hiatus, but tail end of $200 million-plus On The Road Again tour kept earnings higher than any active band.

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1. Taylor Swift ($170 million)

Smashed Rolling Stones’ touring record with a gross north of $200 million in North America; added millions more from brands including Keds, Diet Coke and Apple.

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Best Regards,

 

Aamir