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Dr. Dre Tops Forbes' Top 30 Musician Earnings With $620 Million
December 12, 2014 at 8:19 AM (PT)
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See, it pays to go to "medical school'": Thanks to the sale of BEATS to APPLE for $3 billion, DR. DRE took home, before taxes, a cool $620 million, according to FORBES' list of the 30 top-earning musicians in 2014. That's the highest single-year total for any musician, ever Following behind DRE was BEYONCE, who totaled $115 million, thanks to her MRS. CARTER SHOW tour, her surprise album, and deals with PEPSI and H&M.
The only other act to top the $100 million mark was THE EAGLES, who pulled in $100 million, mostly on the road. BON JOVI was next with $82 million, while fellow JERSEY rocker BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN made the top 5 with $81 million, both acts profiting from lucrative tours.
Legacy acts earned double what their young counterparts, such as KATY PERRY ($40 million), MILEY CYRUS ($36 million) or LADY GAGA ($33 million), did, while #6 JUSTIN BIEBER ($80 million) and #7 ONE DIRECTION ($75 million) were the only acts under 30 to make the top 10. TAYLOR SWIFT ($64 million) finished just outside at #11.
Rounding out the top 10 was PAUL McCARTNEY (#8, $71m), CALVIN HARRIS (#9, $66m), who earned the highest single-year payday of any DJ in the history of the sruvey, and top country cash cow TOBY KEITH (#10, $65), who owns his own label in addition to a mescal line and restaurant chain.
The list was compiled by counting income from touring, recorded music, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures. Management, agent and lawyer fees were not deducted. Earnings were calculated from JUNE 2013 to JUNE 2014 and based on data from POLLSTAR the RIAA and NIELSEN, and on interviews with managers, lawyers, executives and some artists themselves.
BRUNO MARS earned $60 million, putting him in a three-way tie for #12 with JAY Z and DIDDY. The top 20 also included JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (#15, $57 million), PINK (#16, $52 million), MICHAEL BUBLE (#17, $51 million), RIHANNA (#18, $48 million), THE ROLLING STONES (#19, $47 million) and ROGER WATERS (#20, $46 million).
Finishing up the Top 30: ELTON JOHN (#21, $45 million), KENNY CHESNEY (#22, $44 million), PERRY (#23, $40 million), JASON ALDEAN (#24, #37 million) tied with JENNIFER LOPEZ (#24, $37 million), CYRUS (#26, $36 million) tied with CELINE DION (#26, $36 million), MUSE (#28, #34 million) tied with LUKE BRYAN (#28, 34 million) and GAGA (#30, $33 million).

