The main moneymakers in the music industry today are touring singers. The phenomenon is exemplified by the Forbes’ highest paid musician – Katy Perry, who did around 126 tours in the last year. Regardless of their modus operandi, below are the names of the singers who are earning whopping sum and are considered to be the highest earning musicians in the world.
U2 topped our annual list of highest earning musicians with another nine-figure year. Keep reading for more on the top 10 highest paid musicians in the world 2018.
10. Diddy ($64 million)
After topping last year’s list on the strength of his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour and the sale of a chunk of his Sean John equity, Diddy is still making a healthy living thanks largely to a beverage empire that includes Ciroc vodka, DeLeon tequila and Aquahydrate alkaline water.
Also known as Puffy, P. Diddy and Puff Daddy, Diddy is an American record producer, rapper, entrepreneur and actor who ranks in the list of top earning of singers in the world. His first album ‘No Way Out’ was released in 1997. Since then, he has produced several critically and commercially successful albums. Diddy has won two MTV Music Video Awards and two Grammy Awards. He also has a clothing line, two restaurants and a film production company.
9. Roger Waters ($68 million)
The former bass guitarist of Pink Floyd is a touring machine, making bank with almost 100 shows in our scoring period on his worldwide Us and Them tour. Even as a septuagenarian, Waters is a firebrand, imbuing his tour with politics and edginess.
8. Guns N’ Roses ($71 million)
Guns N’ Roses may have an appetite for destruction, but it turns out they also have a knack collecting cash. The band’s latest worldwide tour, featuring classic members Axl Rose and Slash, is among the biggest of the past year–and accounts for nearly all of its earnings.
7. Jay-Z ($76.5 million)
The multifaceted mogul hit the road in support of his album ‘4:44’ after welcoming twins with wife Beyonce in 2017. This year, he’s kicking it up a notch with the launch of ‘Everything Is Love,’ the couple’s first joint album, and stadium tour On The Run II.
6. Taylor Swift ($80 million)
Her new album, ‘Reputation,’ sold 1.2 million copies in the U.S. (and 2 million worldwide) its opening week. Now the superstar songstress is cashing in with her Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour, which will take her from Tampa to Tokyo.
Taylor Swift is an American Singer and songwriter. She started her career with a self-titled album in 2006. He second album ‘Fearless’ that was released in 2008 became a best seller. Taylor Swift is most famous for incorporating her personal experiences ion narrative songs. She has won one Emmy awards, seven Grammy awards, twenty-two Billboard Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards, eleven Country Music Association Awards and one Brit Award. She is also considered one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Taylor Swift is also on the Forbes’ list of 100 most power women.
5. Katy Perry ($83 million)
One of the hardest-working names on the list, Perry played 80 dates of her Witness: The Tour during our scoring period, grossing over $1 million per night. She also managed to find time to serve as a judge on ABC’s ‘American Idol’ reboot, reportedly earning north of $20 million for her troubles.
Katy Perry is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She began singing in churches when she was a child and pursued gospel music in her teenage. She later worked with Red Hill Records releasing her first album in 2001 titled Katy Hudson in 2001. Perry later moved to Los Angeles. She became famous with the release of her single ‘I kissed a girl.’ Katy Perry is the recipient of several awards. She also holds four Guinness world Records. Moreover, she is also included in the Forbes’ list of Top-Earning women in music as well as highest earning musician. She has sold 81 million singles and 11 million albums during the span of her music career.
4. Bruno Mars ($100 million)
The superstar singer grossed a quarter-billion dollars (and counting) on his 24K Magic World Tour en route to the biggest annual payday of his career. He also added six Grammys to his shelf—including a sweep of the three major categories—more than doubling his prior total.
3. Ed Sheeran ($110 million)
Just 27 years old, Sheeran is the highest-earning solo musician on the list, stemming from billions of streams of his songs over the past year and his ascent to stadium act status. He’s also burnishing his Hollywood chops with cameos on ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Simpsons.’
2. Coldplay ($115.5 million)
Chris Martin and company’s A Head Full Of Dreams Tour grossed more than half a billion dollars in its two-year, five-continent run. That total means Coldplay trails only U2’s 360 Tour and The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang Tour on the all-time list.
1. U2 ($118 million)
The immortal Irish rockers’ Joshua Tree Tour—celebrating the 30th anniversary of the album of the same name—grossed $316 million, as some 2.7 million fans turned out to make it last year’s most lucrative outing. U2 also released its 14th studio album, ‘Songs of Experience,’ last December.
Note that the list has taken into account income before tax from records, sales, endorsements, publishing and other business activities. Fees of managers, lawyers and agents haven’t been deducted either.