World’s highest paid musician is …

You may be singing ‘Call Me Maybe’, or dancing ‘Gangnam Style’ to this year’s music, but it was veteran hip-hop artist Dr Dre who topped Forbes’s list of the 25 highest-paid musicians in 2012.

California native Dre (47) became one of the leading names in hip-hop and rap in the early 1990s and has worked with artists including Eminem and Snoop Dogg.Along with his extensive back cata­logue, Dre’s lucrative headphones business, Beats by Dre, helped him gross US$100 million in pre-tax earnings according to Forbes.The list’s top 10 was dominated by veteran musicians, with Pink Floyd’s bassist and singer Roger Waters coming in at number two with earnings of US$88 million from his lucrative ‘The Wall Live’ tour.British singer Elton John came in at number three with US$80 million.Last year’s highest-paid musicians U2 landed at number four this year with combined earnings of US$78 million from their three-year ‘360’ tour.The 1990s British boy band Take That, who reformed in 2005, rounded out the top five with US$69 million, earned from an eight-date tour at London’s Wembley Stadium, which became the highest-grossing single stadium tour to date.Forbes compiles its annual highest-paid musicians list by estimating artists’ earnings from music sales, live shows, endorsements and merchandising. Earlier this year, Dutch DJ Tiesto was named the highest-paid DJ in the fast-growing electronic dance music industry.The only two artists under 30 to break the top 10 were country-pop darling Taylor Swift (22), who tied with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney at number eight with earnings of US$57 million, and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber (18), who tied with country star Toby Keith at number 10 with earnings of US$55 million.Pop star and ‘X Factor’ judge Britney Spears entered the list at number seven with earnings of US$58 million, cementing her comeback after a turbulent few years. Her earnings encompass her multi-million dollar ‘X Factor’ deal, music sales and endorsements.Spears led eight female artists in the top 25 list, including R&B star Rihanna at number 12 with US$53 million, coming ahead of Lady Gaga at number 13 with US$52 million. Grammy-winning British singer Adele notched number 22 on the list, tied with Kanye West, with earnings of US$35 million following a record year for her album ’21’.Music’s power couple, singer Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z, came in at number 18 and number 20, respectively, with earnings of US$40 million and US$38 million.- www.sowetanlive.co.za

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.