Pop superstar Lady Gaga, who landed at No. 7 on Forbes’ 2010 list of the world’s highest-earning musicians, will likely rise to the top of that enviable roster in 2011, says Forbes, which on Wednesday gave three sounds reasons of why that prophecy is virtually inevitable.
Last year, the 24-year-old singer behind the hits “Just Dance” and “Bad Romance” earned $64 million. That figure is expected to nearly double this year thanks to the continuing Monster’s Ball arena tour, along with the May 23 release of her sophomore album, “Born This Way,” and a line of high-tech gadgets recently revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Gaga’s current world tour, which reportedly grosses $2 million per show, should earn the singer another $33 million within the first half of 2011.
This spring’s highly anticipated and hugely self-hyped release of “Born This Way” stands to bring in another $20-$30 million, much of it from publishing and performance royalties for the multi-talented singer-songwriter-dancer. That figure, however, could nearly double if the album hits Thriller-like levels and elevates the artist from being an arena act to becoming a stadium headliner. And, of course, merchandising could add another $10 million.
Further fueling Gaga’s rise to the top of Forbes’ enviable list is her savvy collaborations with major companies, such as her newly launched Grey Label line of digital products that include video sunglasses developed with Polaroid and unveiled last week at CES.
The prolific artist’s complete haul is expected to be between $100-$130 million in 2011, which would easily allow her to take the top spot from enduring rock act U2 as the most successful artist in the world.