Even Mick Jagger can't touch Taylor Swift's moves.
Though her last year hasn't been totally easy — including a
revived feud with Kanye West — she came out on top in the music world in terms of the money
she earned.
Billboard released its annual listof the highest-paid musicians, which ranks how much artists made in 2015, with touring being the primary factor — especially as album sales across the board continue to dwindle.
That accounts for why Adele, despite skyrocketing sales, had to bow down to Swift, who earned $73.5 million in 2015 while she was on her 1989 tour, as well as popular legacy acts that command high sales, from The Rolling Stones to Billy Joel.
See the ranked list of the top 20 highest-paid musicians below:
20. Fleetwood Mac - $11.3 million
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
19. Florida Georgia Line - $11.5 million
Getty
18. Juan Gabriel - $11.6 million
17. Ed Sheeran - $11.6 million
15. Elton John - $12.4 million
Getty
Sure, you can probably get Elton John to sing for you, but it's going to cost around a million dollars.
14. Madonna - $12.7 million
13. Dave Matthews Band - $14.1 million
12. Shania Twain - $14.4 million.
11. Jason Aldean - $18.9 million.
10. Adam Levine's Maroon 5 raked in $19.2 million last year.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images
9. Adele just made the top 10 thanks to her $20.5 million in the year she released the smash album "25" — impressive given that she didn't even tour last year.
8. U2 is still one of the biggest rock bands around with $21.8 million.
7. Luke Bryan is one of the top acts around, especially in record sales, nabbing him $23.1 million.
6. Jerry Garcia may be long dead, but legendary rock group The Grateful Dead cashed in with their Fare Thee Well final reunion tour, with a total $23.8 million.
5. One Direction, which topped Billboard's list last year, saw their earnings fall significantly following Zayn Malik's abrupt exit, though $24.2 million still doesn't sound so bad.
4. Billy Joel, the "Piano Man" singer and mainstay at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, earned $31.7 million in 2015.
3. The Rolling Stones might be over 50 years into their career, but that didn't stop them from taking in a cool $39.6 million.
2. Country's top dog at the moment, Kenny Chesney, nabbed $39.8 million.
1. Taylor Swift got the top spot with $73.5 million.
No comments