Lady Gaga and Madonna have an ongoing rivalry but there's only one winner when it comes to the highest-paid musician and the crown goes to Madonna. Making $125 million over the past year, the Material Girl is the highest paid musician in the world according to Forbes.
Most of Madonna's riches came from the end of her MDNA Tour, which made $305 million overall. The merchandise sales at concerts and sales from her Material Girl clothing line and Truth of Dare fragrance also add to her large income.
Lady Gaga's income doesn't compare to Madonna's, but she did make $80 million last year, making her the second highest paid musician. Much of the income came from her latest tour, which made $160 million before she had to stop due to a hip injury. If she was able to finish the tour, she may have made $200 million, Forbes says. Lady Gaga just released her new album ARTPOP, which Forbes says should give her an extra boost next year. Between album sales and concerts, Lady Gaga can reclaim the crown next year.
Concerts and tours make up most of an artist's income. "With touring being the biggest revenue stream, if there's an opportunity for an artist to go out, if there's an opportunity for a promoter to curate a festival, people are doing it," Kevin Liles, founder of KWL Enterprises and manager of artists including Big Sean, Trey Songz and Young Jeezy told Forbes.
Other touring artists also topped the highest paid musician list. Coming in third, with $79 million, Bon Jovi made most of his income from his Because We Can Tour. Toby Keith, who's constantly on the road, came in fourth with $65 million and Coldplay made a nice $65 million, making them fifth.
Forbes determined these stats by looking at income from June 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013. They considered concert ticket sales, royalties from music and publishing, merchanise sales, endorsements and business projects.
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