Madonna named world’s highest-earning musician

Madonna has retained her reign as the Queen of Pop this year, with Forbes naming her as the world’s highest-earning musician.

According to the magazine, the material girl raked in $125 million over the last year. The bulk of those earnings came from her MDNA Tour, which grossed a cool $305 million, as well as merchandise sales and her clothing and fragrance lines.

Ranking second on the list was Madonna’s arch nemesis Lady Gaga who only managed to earn a measly $80 million. Gaga’s latest tour grossed over $160 million but was cut short when a hip injury forced her to cancel dates. According to Forbes, had she finished the tour, she would likely have topped the $200 million mark.

The release of Gaga’s recent album ARTPOP, supported by a string of concerts, is expected to put her in good stance to take the top spot on next year’s list.

The rest of the list underscores the financial importance of live tours in today’s music world, with Bon Jovi coming in third with the $79 million from their Because We Can tour. Country superstar Toby Keith took out fourth place with $65 million while Coldplay closed out the top five with their $64 million.

The highest-paid hip-hop act went to Sean “Diddy” Combs whose $50 million, mostly from his Ciroc vodka deal, put him at no. 12 overall. While Calvin Harris sat as no. 14 as the world’s highest paid DJ, earning $46 million over the last year.

“The rise of dance music has been astronomical in the last three years and I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” he told Forbes earlier this year.

Forbes emphasised that only living artists are eligible for the list, otherwise Michael Jackson, who continued to earn $160 million over the last year, would take taken top mantle.