The US Census Bureau reported a mean personal income of $44,510 for all workers over age 15 with income in the United States. It’s a livable wage. Not a wage that would allow the average American to make it rain at the strip club, but enough to put a roof over your head and some ramen on your table.
Well, Forbes released its annual list of the World’s Top Earning Musicians and you’ll be glad to know that the poorest person on that list makes nearly 865 times that mean personal income number for the U.S. And to think, you and I could have been the songbirds of our generation. The list contains old musicians and new, some surprises and Taylor Swift, and even a couple figures who aren’t even releasing music anymore.
In order to come up with the below numbers, Forbes considers the following:
Our list measures pretax income from June 1, 2015, to June 1, 2016 before deducting management fees. Numbers are based on data from Pollstar, Nielsen and the RIAA, as well as interviews with managers, agents, lawyers—and some stars themselves.
30.) Drake — $38.5 million
29.) Jennifer Lopez — $39.5 million
28.) Mumford & Sons — $40 million
27.) Jimmy Buffet — $40.5 million
25.) Katy Perry — $41 million (tie)
25.) Dr. Dre — $41 million (tie)
24.) Elton John — $42 million
23.) Bigbang ($44 million) — This is a Seoul-based boy band. I had to look them up.
22.) Toby Keith — $47.5 million
21.) Foo Fighters — $48.5 million
20.) Muse — $49 million
19.) Luke Bryan — $53 million
18.) Jay-Z — $53.5 million
17.) Beyonce — $54 million
15.) The Weeknd — $55 million (tie)
15.) U2 — $55 million (tie)
13.) Kenny Chesney — $56 million (tie)
13.) Justin Bieber — $56 million (tie)
12.) Paul McCartney — $56.5 million
11.) Bruce Springsteen — $60.5 million
10.) Diddy — $62 million
9.) Calvin Harris — $63 million
8.) Rolling Stones — $66.5 million
7.) AC/DC — $67.5 million
6.) Garth Brooks — $70 million
5.) Rihanna — $75 million
4.) Madonna — $76.5 million
3.) Adele — $80.5 million
2.) One Direction — $110 million
1.) Taylor Swift — $170 million
So there you have it, bros. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to call my landlord and let him know that rent’s going to be a couple weeks late.
Read more over at Forbes…