Dr Dre Tops Forbes World Highest Paid Musician 2014

1. Dr. Dre: $620 million

The superproducer’s payout from Apple’s $3 billion purchase of Beats gave him the biggest single-year payday of any musician in history.

2. Beyoncé: $115 million

Queen B’s most lucrative year came courtesy of her Mrs. Carter Show world tour, a surprise album and endorsements with the likes of Pepsi and H&M.

3. The Eagles: $100 million

The ageless rockers’ ongoing History Of The Eagles tour helped them earn more last year than Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Miley Cyrus—combined.

4. Bon Jovi: $82 million

The tail end of their Because We Can Tour, which grossed a quarter of a billion dollars, pushed the New Jersey natives into the top five.

5. Bruce Springsteen: $81 million

In yet another tour-fueled bonanza, The Boss justified his name, grossing more than $4 million per night with the E Street Band.

6. Justin Bieber: $80 million

More problems, more money: Despite his despicable behavior, Bieber’s last tour helped him to the biggest payday of his career. (Read more: "Justin Bieber, Venture Capitalist: The Forbes Cover Story").

7. One Direction: $75 million

The boy band’s earnings soared to new heights thanks to lucrative live dates, Pepsi commercials and another No. 1 album, Midnight Memories.

8. Paul McCartney: $71 million

The oldest member of the top ten, 72-year-old McCartney rocked his way around the world—and grossed more than $3.5 million per city.

9. Calvin Harris: $66 million

The former stockboy is the world’s top-paid DJ, scoring six-figure nightly fees and millions more producing hits for Rihanna and others.

10. Toby Keith: $65 million

Country’s cash king is a diversified money machine, boasting his own record label, mescal line and restaurant chain. (Read more: "Toby Keith, Cowboy Capitalist: The Forbes Cover Story").

11. Taylor Swift: $64 million

Though she missed the top ten by a hair, Swift still scored the highest annual total of her career—and figures to top it next year with her upcoming world tour.

12. Jay Z: $60 million (tie)

Beyoncé’s husband had his best year since 2010, fueled by a stadium co-bills and ventures including D’Ussé, Armand de Brignac and Roc Nation. (Read more in the book Empire State of Mind: How Jay Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office).

12. Diddy: $60 million (tie)

The ageless impresario rarely tours, but padded his coffers with cash from Diageo’s Ciroc vodka. He’s hoping to repeat the feat with his purchase of DeLeon tequila.

12. Bruno Mars: $60 million (tie)

Possibly the most memorable performer at last year’s Super Bowl, Mars grossed over $100 million on his Moonshine Jungle Tour. (Read more: "From Cereal To Super Bowl: The Evolution of Bruno Mars").

15. Justin Timberlake: $57 million

Playing arenas alongside Jay Z propelled Timberlake to his biggest payday years; the renaissance man also earns from acting roles, a restaurant and clothing line.

16. Pink: $52 million

Though she doesn’t get quite as much press as some of her fellow list members, road warrior Pink out-earned Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.

17. Michael Bublé: $51 million

Another singer making millions on live music, Bublé banked over $1 million per city on his latest tour.

18. Rihanna: $48 million

The Barbados-born diva has reliably cranked out hits like “Diamonds” and “The Monster,” part of the reason she has over 90 million Facebook fans.

19. Rolling Stones: $47 million

More than half a century into their career, the Stones are still as staggeringly profitable as ever, grossing close to $10 million per tour stop.

20. Roger Waters: $46 million

Though he’s no longer a part of Pink Floyd, his The Wall Live tour grossed nearly half a billion dollars; the tail end propelled him to the top 20 of this list.

21. Elton John: $45 million

Like many of his older listmates, the Rocketman outearned youngsters like Kanye West and Katy Perry by playing lucrative arena shows.

22. Kenny Chesney: $44 million

The country superstar owes much of his total to stadium shows, but has diversified into liquor with his Blue Chair Bay rum.

23. Katy Perry: $40 million

Unafraid of the shill, the Super Bowl XLIX halftime star gets paid by brands like CoverGirl and Pop Chips, as well as her own Coty fragrance, Killer Queen.

24. Jason Aldean: $37 million (tie)

Since his 2005 debut, all five of Aldean’s studio albums have gone platinum, including 2012’s Night Train, which moved over 1.5 million units.

24. Jennifer Lopez: $37 million (tie)

She may still be Jenny From the Block, but she earned more than divas half her age thanks to her American Idol return and a handful of live shows.

26. Miley Cyrus: $36 million (tie)

After successfully destroying any trace of Hannah Montana, Cyrus reached financial heights she hasn’t seen since her days as a teen star.

26. Celine Dion: $36 million (tie)

The legendary songstress made just as much as Miley—without any twerking—thanks mostly to a lucrative Las Vegas residency.

28. Muse: $34 million (tie)

The British rock group, now in its 20th year, made the list on the strength of its ongoing viability on the road.

28. Luke Bryan: $34 million (tie)

His album Crash My Party moved half a million copies in the first half of 2014—the seventh best total of any album in any genre.

30. Lady Gaga: $33 million (tie)

The Queen Monster’s latest album didn’t match previous efforts, but she still added millions to her coffers by touring extensively.

30. Drake: $33 million (tie)

With an arena tour, a Nike endorsement deal and a new album that sold 4 million copies worldwide, Drake has tripled his 2013 earnings.

Near Misses

Many musicians made double-digit millions but still fell short of the Top 30. Among them: Britney Spears, Avicii, Kanye West, Madonna, Macklemore, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Tiesto and Birdman.
[Forbes]