Taylor Swift Tops 2014 ‘Billboard’ Money Makers List

Carl Williott | March 10, 2014 9:45 am

Taylor Swift is the highest paid musician of the past 12 months, according to a new list compiled by Billboard. The 22-year-old superstar raked in $39,699,575, roughly $30M of which came from her six-month Red tour, which makes her tour haul the highest of anyone on the list. Coming in at number 2 is another country star, Kenny Chesney, who earned just under $33M, edging out Justin Timberlake‘s $31.4M. Beyonce, Maroon 5 and Pink comprise the rest of the pop acts in the top 10, while classic rock has heavy representation with Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac. Once you hit the top 20, the pop takeover begins, with names like Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, One Direction and Rihanna showing up.

For the rankings, Billboard calculated US earnings from touring, music sales and royalties from streaming and other sources. Some earnings, like corporate sponsorship and merchandise, were not tallied. See the top 10 below, and head over to Billboard for the full list and more details on each entry and the methodology.

2014 Billboard Money Makers 1. Taylor Swift ($39.7M) 2. Kenny Chesney ($33M) 3. Justin Timberlake ($31.4M) 4. Bon Jovi ($29.4M) 5. The Rolling Stones ($26.2M) 6. Beyonce ($24.4M) 7. Maroon 5 ($22.3M) 8. Luke Bryan ($22.1M) 9. Pink ($20.1M) 10. Fleetwood Mac ($19.1M)

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.