Highest-Paid Musician Is Madonna With $125 Million [Watch The ‘Material Girl’]
The highest-paid musician for 2013, according to Forbes Magazine, is the “Material Girl” herself – Madonna!
Based on her earnings of $125 million – from June 2012 to May 2013 – she has received the accolade of being the highest-paid musician in the world or, should we say, “Material World”?
At age 55, this veteran of the music business beat other chart topping artists such as Rihanna and Paul McCartney for the number one spot. Lady Gaga comes in second place at $80 million and Bon Jovi is close behind with $79 million. Toby Keith is the highest paid country artist this year, earning $65 million.
Forbes revealed that the majority of the singer’s income came from the end of her MDNA Tour, which grossed $305 million.
Runners up in the race are Justin Bieber, who earned $58 million, beating Taylor Swift’s $55 million. Jay Z and Beyonce both made it to the Top 20,. Beyonce got the number nine slot with $53 million.
In calculating the basis for determining the highest-paid musician, Forbes magazine “took into account concert ticket sales, royalties for recorded music and publishing, merchandise sales, endorsement deals, and other business ventures.”
Madonna’s controversial MDNA world tour ended on Dec. 22, 2012.
Of course, the old adage that “money cannot buy happiness” could be said to apply to Madonna. Her eight year marriage to film director Guy Ritchie ended acrimoniously with a very public battle.
In 2008, rumors of a split began to surface. Ritchie and Madonna then announced publicly that they “can’t bear to live with the pretense any longer”. On 15 December, 2008, Madonna agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which granted him between $75 million and $90 million.
If this was the impetus that Madonna needed to earn more money, it seems to have worked.