The 'Mean' singer rises from the sixth spot to the first place, beating last year's top-earning artist Lady GaGa by netting $35 million.
- Mar 10, 2012
AceShowbiz - Taylor Swift earned money more than any other music act during the year of 2011, according to Billboard. From sitting at No. 6 last year, the 22-year-old country music crooner jumped to the first spot by pocketing $35 million from the sales of her albums and songs, her world tour and songwriting royalties. She collected 17|percent| more than the take-home pay of last year's biggest money maker Lady GaGa.
Swift sold 1.8 million copies of albums with her latest effort "Speak Now" on the lead (967,000 units). The young singer additionally pulled in 7.8 million digital tracks from her catalog, but it was her tour which became her most beneficial source of income. She's estimated to have cashed in $88.5 million gross in the United States alone, and have netted a grand total of $29.8 million from the roadshow.
U2 and Kenny Chesney rounded up the top three with $32 million and $29 million respectively. They were followed by 2011's No. 1 earner GaGa who suffered a decrease in her income. From bagging $30 million last year, the Mother Monster now collected only $25 million. Lil Wayne occupied the fifth spot with $23 million. Like Swift, those four artists earned their money mostly from their tours.
The rest of the top 10 are filled by Sade, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Jason Aldean and Adele. Unlike most of the stars who gained huge profit from their live shows, the British pop sensation, who's forced to cancel her gig due to throat surgery, got her money mainly from the steadily-strong sales of her album "21" and its songs including "Rolling in the Deep". Sitting at No. 10, She's estimated to have sold a grand total of 6.7 million copies in album sales and pocketed $13 million cash.
Outside the top 10, there were the likes of "Glee" cast (No. 11, $12 million), Katy Perry (No. 14, $11 million), Britney Spears (No. 16, $10 million), and Rihanna (No. 22, $7 million). Justin Bieber, who rounded up the top 5 last year by collecting an estimated profit of $22 million, dropped to No. 35 by netting only $5 million in the past twelve months.
- Taylor Swift ($35 million)
- U2 ($32 million)
- Kenny Chesney ($29 million)
- Lady GaGa ($25 million)
- Lil Wayne ($23 million)
