Rolling Stones claim top spot on music's rich list
A Rolling Stone gathers no moss, but it sure picks up a lot of green.
The legendary band was named the highest earning musical performers of the past year on the Forbes.com list.
According to the financial website, the British rockers earned a total of $88 million US from June 2006 until June of this year.
"The really serious money comes from touring. And no one can pull in the big bucks like an older, established music act," the report stated.
The band also had the largest grossing North American tour, pulling in $139 million.
The Stones' A Bigger Bang tour dazzled crowds across Canada, headlining the biggest concert ever held in Halifax —with 50,000 fans —and dropping in on Saskatchewan for the first time.
Pollstar music magazine said the band's two Regina concerts combined were the highest grossing Canadian concert ever, bringing in more than $12 million.
Rapper Jay-Z landed on the Forbes.com listjust behind the Stones with $83 million, but a substantial part of his income came from his Rocawareapparel label.
Madonna came third with $72 million, followed by:
- Bon Jovi, $67 million.
- Elton John,$53 million.
- Celine Dion, $45 million.
- Tim McGraw, $37 million.
- 50 Cent, $33 million.
- U2, $30 million.
- P Diddy, $23 million.
Forbes.com said high ticket prices helped boost earnings for these artists but that's in addition to expert marketing of their image.
"They also exploit the power of their brand name to push other products," the report said.