Forbes has released its annual list of the world's highest paid musicians and as expected Dr. Dre is number one. Although you have to wonder if Dre should even be included on a list of musicians when he hasn't released an official single since 2011's "I Need A Doctor." Unsurprisingly, the bulk of Dre's $110 million earnings come from his Beats headphone line. The legendary producer reportedly netted $100 million pretax after handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year. Dre and his partners would later repurchase half of what they sold.
Aside from Dre, the only other hip-hop artists to make the list were Diddy ($45 million), Jay-Z ($38 million), and Kanye West ($35 million).
The list is fairly predictable with some of the biggest artists in music, such as Taylor Swift (#8) and Justin Bieber (#10) making the cut, although it does have a few surprises. Most notably Roger Waters inclusion at number 2 is unexpected despite the success of The Wall tour.
For those wondering about the methodology behind the list, the figures were computed as follows according to Forbes:
Our estimates are based on total earnings from May 2011 to May 2012—the amount of money an act makes from record sales, touring, endorsements, merchandise sales and other ventures before subtracting management fees, legal costs and taxes (which can gobble up the bulk of a big payday). The totals were compiled with the help of data from Pollstar, RIAA and others, as well as interviews with industry insiders including concert promoters, lawyers, managers, agents and, in some cases, the musicians themselves.
View the entire list of the top 25 below. [Forbes]
Highest-Paid Musicians of 2012:
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)
9. Taylor Swift – $57 Million (tie)
10. Justin Bieber – $55 Million (tie)
11. Toby Keith – $55 Million (tie)
12. Rihanna – $53 Million
13. Lady GaGa – $52 Million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 Million
15. Diddy – $45 Million (tie)
16. 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)
23. Kanye West – $35 Million (tie)
24. Michael Bublé – $34 Million
25. Sade – $33 Million