Forbes released their annual Highest-Paid Musicians of the Year list and topping it for 2012 was Dr. Dre who made $110 million and he’s not even a real doctor! The income comes mostly from his Beats headphone line. He made $100 million when HTC paid $300 million for 51% stake in the company but that was kind of a failure so Dre and his partners bought back half of what they sold.
Another musician worthy of note is Justin Bieber. While he barely breaks the top ten, he still made $55 million this year and the kid is only 18. This year he launched his third studio album, a world tour and continued investing in startups like Spotify and Tinychat among others.
I’d just like to take a moment to say, you suck, Bieber. *Looks at moldy sandwich under bed, cries*
Here’s a full top 25:
1. Dr. Dre ($110 million)
2. Roger Waters ($88 million)
3. Elton John ($80 million)
4. U2 ($78 million)
5. Take That ($69 million)
6. Bon Jovi ($60 million)
7. Britney Spears ($58 million)
8. Paul McCartney ($57 million, tie)
8. Taylor Swift ($57 million, tie)
10. Justin Bieber ($55 million, tie)
10. Toby Keith ($55 million, tie)
12. Rihanna ($53 million)
13. Lady Gaga ($52 million)
14. Foo Fighters ($47 million)
15. Diddy ($45 million, tie)
15. Katy Perry ($45 million, tie)
17. Kenny Chesney ($44 million)
18. Beyoncé ($40 million)
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers ($39 million)
20. Jay-Z ($38 million)
21. Coldplay ($37 million)
22. Adele ($35 million, tie)
22. Kanye West ($35 million, tie)
24. Michael Bublé ($34 million)
25. Sade ($33 million)
Madonna’s 2012 tour has grossed over $250 million
What she doesn’t pay taxes in the US suddenly?