What musicians made the most money in the past year?
Forbes just released its annual list of the top-earning musicians (from June 2008 to June 2009), and the top three spots are:
1. Madonna (pictured), $110 million
2. Celine Dion, $100 million
3. Beyonce, $87 million
Forbes estimated the musicians’ gross earnings by tallying album sales, publishing rights and endorsements from Billboard, Pollstar and Nielsen SoundScan.
According to Forbes, the top 10 highest-grossing musicians piled up just about $719 million this past year, compared with $500 million the year before.
The reasons for the surge? Ticket prices are up $5 on average, which is the largest price hike in years, Forbes reports.