Look Back at Music’s Top Money Makers, 2010 Until Now
Glancing over the top ten Money Makers from 2010 to now, it's not Queen Bey, but Taylor Swift who takes the cake.
This week, Billboard revealed our annual Money Makers list of the top 50 highest-paid musicians, who raked in a collective $890.7 million in U.S. sales, publishing, streaming and touring in 2016. But as we crown this year’s number one — Beyoncé, with $62.1 million in total revenue — it’s also worth taking a moment to reflect on the industry’s top earners over the years.
Glancing over the top ten Money Makers each year from 2010 to now, it’s not Queen Bey, but Taylor Swift who takes the cake. While Swift was notably absent from 2016’s list — and has taken a hiatus from the music scene in general as of late — she’s been a top 10 earner four times since 2010, three of those at number one. The country-turned-pop star also claims the highest dollar count of all artists who snagged number one over that time frame, taking home a staggering $73.5 million as the top Money Maker of 2015.
Notably, all top earners over the past six years have been women, save for 2014, when One Direction stole the crown. And while classic acts and touring giants like The Eagles, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen continue to pop up over the years, we see few dance and hip-hop artists make the cut, and zero Latin artists.
Finally, the glaring more than $30 million disparity in earnings from 2010’s number one, Lady Gaga, and this year’s Beyoncé might be owed to the fact that for the first time in nearly two decades, music industry revenue has increased for two straight years.
Have a look at the full list of top music industry earners from 2010 to now, followed by their total revenue that year in millions, below.
Money Makers: 2010
1. Lady Gaga – $30.6M
2. Bon Jovi – $30.4M
3. Roger Waters – $24.5M
4. Dave Matthews Band – $23.9M
5. Justin Bieber – $22.5M
6. Taylor Swift – $20.7M
7. Michael Buble – $19.8M
8. The Eagles – $18.3M
9. The Black Eyed Peas – $16.8M
10. Paul McCartney – $14.2M
Money Makers: 2011
1. Taylor Swift – $35.7M
2. U2 – $32.1M
3. Kenny Chesney – $29.8M
4. Lady Gaga – $25.3M
5. Lil Wayne – $23.2M
6. Sade – $16.4M
7. Bon Jovi – $15.8M
8. Celine Dion – $14.3M
9. Jason Aldean – $13.4M
10. Adele – $13.1M
Money Makers: 2012
1. Madonna – $34.6M
2. Bruce Springsteen – $33.4M
3. Roger Waters – $21.2M
4. Van Halen – $20.2M
5. Kenny Chesney – $19.1M
6. Dave Matthews Band – $18.9M
7. Tim McGraw – $18.3M
8. Jason Aldean – $17.6M
9. Coldplay – $17.3M
10. Justin Bieber – $15.9M
Money Makers: 2013
1. Taylor Swift – $39.7M
2. Kenny Chesney – $33.0M
3. Justin Timberlake – $31.5M
4. Bon Jovi – $29.4M
5. The Rolling Stones – $26.2
6. Beyoncé – $24.4M
7. Maroon 5 – $22.3
8. Luke Bryan – $22.1M
9. Pink – $20.1M
10. Fleetwood Mac – $19.1M
Money Makers: 2014
1. One Direction – $46.0M
2. Katy Perry – $30.1M
3. Justin Timberlake – $27.9M
4. Billy Joel – $27.2M
5. The Eagles – $26.2M
6. Luke Bryan – $25.0M
7. Paul McCartney – $23.5M
8. George Strait – $22.5M
9. JAY-Z – $22.0M
10. Jason Aldean – $20.2M
Money Makers: 2015
1. Taylor Swift – $73.5M
2. Kenny Chesney – $39.8M
3. The Rolling Stones – $39.6M
4. Billy Joel – $31.7M
5. One Direction – $24.2M
6. Grateful Dead – $23.8M
7. Luke Bryan – $23.1M
8. U2 – $21.8M
9. Adele – $20.5M
10. Maroon 5 – $19.2M
Money Makers: 2016
1. Beyoncé – $62.10M
2. Guns N’ Roses – $42.3M
3. Bruce Springsteen – $42.2M
4. Drake – $37.3M
5. Adele – $37.0M
6. Coldplay – $32.3M
7. Justin Bieber – $30.5M
8. Luke Bryan – $27.3M
9. Kanye West – $26.1M
10. Kenny Chesney – $25.4M
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