Forbes has released its list of the Ten Highest-Paid Country Stars of 2018! Check out whose wallets are in really good shape this year…
Highest-Paid Country Stars of 2018
1) Luke Bryan, $52 million
2) Garth Brooks, $45.5 million
3) Kenny Chesney, $37 million
4) Zac Brown Band, $31 million
5) Blake Shelton, $28 million
6) Florida Georgia Line (Brian Kelley & Tyler Hubbard), $27 million
7) Jason Aldean, $23 million
8) Toby Keith, $22 million
9) Brad Paisley, $20 million
10) Dolly Parton, $19 million
This time around, Luke Bryan took the top spot thanks to his role as a judge on American Idol, a Chevrolet endorsement deal, and his huge headlining tour. In 2017, country music icon Garth Brooks held the number one position but dropped down to number two this year. Surprisingly enough, the only female artist in the top ten is country music maven Dolly Parton.
The key to making in in the top ten appears to be diversification. Each of these artists have revenue streams coming from outside of music. For example, Kenny Chesney has an endorsement deal with Corona, Dolly has her Dollywood theme park, and Florida Georgia Line has their FGL HOUSE venue in Nashville.
To create this edition of the list, Forbes look at touring numbers from Pollstar, Bandsintown, and Songkick, as well as record sales data from Nielsen, while performing independent research on outside business ventures and endorsement deals. The estimates generated represent pretax income from June 1, 2017 through June 1, 2018.
Share this jaw-dropping list with other country music fans and catch Luke “Big Money” Bryan out on tour!
What Makes You Country Tour Dates
8/17 Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheater
8/18 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
8/19 Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/24 Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
8/26 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
9/8 Dallas, TX – Starplex Pavilion
9/13 Rapid City, SD – Rushmore Plaza Barnett Arena
9/14 Billings, MT – Rimrock Auto Arena
9/20 Boise, ID – Ford Idaho Center
9/21 Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
What Makes You Country XL Tour Schedule
August 25 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium
September 1 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
September 2 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field
October 13 – Vancouver, BC @ BC Place Stadium
October 26 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
Farm Tour 2018 Schedule
Sept. 27 Irwin, OH Springfork Farms
Sept. 28 Pesotum, IL Atkins Farm
Sept. 29 Boone, IA Ziel Farm
Oct. 4 Archer, FL Whitehurst Cattle Company
Oct. 5 North Augusta, SC Misty Morning Farms
Oct. 6 Ringgold, GA Doug Yates Farms
