Forbes has released its list of highest-paid musicians and unsurprisingly, the top spot this year is not held by a popstar or rock band, but a doctor – of beats. Aftermath Records CEO, rapper and beat maker, Dr. Dre earned a cool $110 million between May 2011 and May 2012 to earn that enviable position. However, most of that paycheck had nothing to do with the production of music, though as he earned the vast majority of it from his über-trendy headphone line, Beats by Dre.
Others leading the pack: Roger Waters (a founding member of Pink Floyd) with $88 million, Elton John with $80 million, U2 with $78 million and Take That with $69 million. Now that’s a top 5 with just one American and none of them’s currently in the top 10 of the Billboard singles chart.
Bonjovi comes in at 6th with $60 million. Britney Spears, the highest-earning woman, comes in at No. 7 with $58 million. Taylor Swift tied Paul McCartney for the eighth slot. Both raked in $57 million over the course of the year.
Other hotshots: Justin Bieber rounds out the top 10 with $55 million, Rihanna lands at No. 12 ($53 million) and is followed by Lady Gaga ($52 million), Katy Perry and Diddy tied for 15th ($45 million) and Beyonce out-earned husband Jay-Z ($40 million and $38 million). Adele and Kanye West hold the joint spot at No. 22 with $35 million.
