Earlier today, Forbes released their annual list of the year’s highest paid musicians, and despite not having put out an album under his name since 1999’s 2001, clearly no one has forgot about Dre, who brought in an estimated $110 million in 2012. (Honestly, I hope Detox never comes out, and it won’t, if only because I love making “Forgot About Dre” references all the time.) According to Consequence of Sound:
Before taxes, Dre picked up $100 million dollars last year when HTC paid him $300 million for a 51% stake in the company, which he and his partners nearly bought back. “The brands are so aligned, Dre and Beats, it’s just who he is,” Kevin Liles, former president of Def Jam Recordings, explained to Forbes. “If you look at the biggest earners, the guys have been doing it for 20 years … what’s happening now is people are really telling their truth.” (Via)
The whole “no new album” thing was actually a good call: of the 10 highest earning artists, only three (Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and Justin Bieber) put out that thing known as…it’s right on the top of my tongue…oh yeah, “non-headphones,” or as it’s known outside The Business, “new records.” Here’s the full list.
01. Dr Dre – $110 Million
02. Roger Waters – $88 Million
03. Elton John – $80 Million
04. U2 – $78 Million
05. Take That – $69 Million
06. Bon Jovi – $60 Million
07. Britney Spears – $58 Million
08. Paul McCartney – $57 Million (tie)
08. Taylor Swift – $57 Million (tie)
10. Justin Bieber – $55 Million (tie)
10. Toby Keith – $55 Million (tie)
12. Rihanna – $53 Million
13. Lady GaGa – $52 Million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 Million
15. Diddy – $45 Million (tie)
15. Katy Perry – $45 Million (tie)
17. Kenny Chesney – $44 Million
18. Beyoncé – $40 Million
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 Million
20. Jay-Z – $38 Million
21. Coldplay – $37 Million
22. Adele – $35 Million (tie)
22. Kanye West – $35 Million (tie)
24. Michael Bublé – $34 Million
25. Sade – $33 Million (Via)
I’m as shocked as you are that the residuals from Mojo Priest didn’t boost Steven Seagal onto the list. When reached for comment, the Lawman responded:
