Beyoncé enjoyed the biggest year of her career—she pulled in $115 million thanks mostly to a massive tour—making her the top-earning woman in the music business. Who else made the top ten? Read on to find out.
1. Beyonce ($115 million)
Queen B had the biggest year of her career, thanks mostly to a massive tour. The superstar singer played 95 shows during our scoring period, bringing in an average $2.4 million per city, according to Pollstar. Her latest album, Beyoncé, hit iTunes in December 2013 with barely any publicity—and quickly became one of the year’s top sellers.
Read Also: Jan Blohm’s new album is a love story
2. Taylor Swift ($64 million)
As she completes her crossover from country to pop, Swift is having the best year of her career, earnings-wise. She continues to pull in cash from live shows, recorded music and endorsements for Diet Coke, Keds and CoverGirl. New album 1989 looks set to become the top-seller of the year, boosted by sales of over 1 million units its first week.
3. Pink ($52 million)
Though she may not have quite the same name recognition as some of the other stars on this list, Pink is quietly adding massive amounts of cash to her coffers. She played more than 85 concerts during our time frame, grossing over $1 million per city; on top of that, she’s boosted by sales of recorded music and endorsements with the likes of CoverGirl.
4. Rihanna ($48 million)
Perhaps the perfect embodiment of the modern pop star, the 26-year-old Barbados native churns out radio hits like “We Found Love” and “Diamonds” and collaborates with the likes of Jay-Z and Eminem. But she also uses social media better than almost anyone, boasting more than 37 million followers on Twitter and 90 million on Facebook.
5. Katy Perry ($40 million)
Perry only played 20 public gigs during our scoring period, but even with a fairly modest touring schedule the pop star is still one of the top earners in her field. She’s unafraid of the shill, endorsing brands like CoverGirl and Pop Chips along with her own Coty fragrance, Killer Queen. Perry also earns big playing private events.
6. Jennifer Lopez ($37 million)
A struggling American Idol called Lopez back as a judge this year, and while the move didn’t help ratings as much as Fox would have liked, it gave Lopez a platform to launch her newest album A.K.A. Lopez performed on Pitbull’s song, “We Are One” which was the official song for the FIFA World Cup.
7. Miley Cyrus ($36 million, tie)
After slaying Hannah Montana, a grown-up Cyrus is courting controversy at every turn. Her twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards shocked many people who still see Cyrus as a little girl, but the attention helped record sales. Her latest album Bangerz has been certified platinum, and she continues to reap big checks from the accompanying tour.
7. Celine Dion ($36 million, tie)
Though she doesn’t get as much media attention as younger stars like Cyrus and Perry, Dion continues to keep up with them in the earnings department. Her lucrative Las Vegas residency is the main reason, and other shows around Europe and her native Canada help add millions to her bottom line.
9. Lady Gaga ($33 million)
The Queen Monster’s earnings continue to fall from her 2011 peak of $90 million. Part of the reason: her third studio album, Artpop, has failed to produce the same success as her prior efforts. Still, Gaga remains one of the world’s most influential pop stars, and at age 28, she has plenty of time to leap back toward the top of our list.
10. Britney Spears ($20 million)
Her latest album Britney Jean was greeted with a lukewarm reception and sales to match—it’s her first effort that hasn’t earned platinum or gold certification in the U.S. But Britney continues to fatten her pockets, thanks largely to a Las Vegas residency that started out paying her $315,000 per show, and is rumored to have been increased to nearly $500,000 per night.
Source: Forbes