Garth Brooks is the King of Forbes’ 2015 ‘The World’s Highest-Paid Musicians’ List

garth brooks

photo: Sony Music Nashville

Coming out of retirement was a good call for Garth Brooks. Looking at these numbers, fans were pretty thrilled too...

Forbes has released its annual list of the top earners in the music business. While pop sensation Katy Perry reigns supreme among musicians, she’s also the top-earning celebrity in the entire world after boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Perry has grossed more than $2 million per tour stop during her Prismatic World Tour. Wowza. (I’m considering asking Left Shark for a loan…)

No worries, country music’s elite also have a strong showing on this eye-opening list…

Garth Brooks is ranked No. 3 overall on the list after emerging from semi-retirement and launching a wildly popular concert tour, grossing well over $1 million in each city he visits. Brooks brought in a cool $90 million this year.

Country-turned-pop star Taylor Swift sits at No. 4, having scooped up $80 million in revenue in 2015 alone. Her meteoric rise can be attributed to the release of her most recent album 1989, which has sold over 3.6 million copies, and her current star-studded tour. The young talent’s 1989 Tour is grossing around $4 million per stop, making her a potential No. 1 spot holder on next year’s Forbes list.

Toby Keith comes in at No. 16 with $53 million in earnings. Having played only 29 shows, his flood of cold hard cash comes from a wide range of brand extensions such as I Love This Bar & Grill, Wild Shot Mezcal, and an endorsement deal with Ford.

Mister Toby Keith is followed by Jason Aldean at No. 19 ($43.5 million), Luke Bryan at No. 20 ($42.5 million), Kenny Chesney at No. 21 ($42 million), Tim McGraw at No. 24 ($38 million), and Florida Georgia Line at No. 27 ($36.5 million).

Okay, back to reality and putting loose change in my sweet beer jug piggy bank…

 

View Comments (0)