Taylor Swift has bikini photos. True story! We don’t have the photos – you can see them here. She was photographed in Australia, on the beach wearing a very nice bikini. It wasn’t too revealing, and yet… her vibe is so virginal, it feels like we’re seeing a lot of skin. In other Swifty news, she had a really, really big 2011. Everyone knows that already, but did you know that she was the #1 musical money-maker of the year?
Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Adele had huge years in 2011, with major tours, strings of hit singles, Grammy wins and #1-hogging chart-topping albums. But when Billboard magazine compiled its 2012 list of “Music’s Top 40 Money Makers” it was Taylor Swift who ruled them all. In fact, the 22-year-old country-pop darling out-earned all of her fellow ladies combined.
According to the magazine’s calculations, Swift earned her #1 spot on the list thanks to reported earnings of $35.7 million in the 2011 calendar year. Those earnings came from a combination of revenue from the quadruple-platinum-plus sales of Speak Now and its accompanying tour, which grossed $88.5 million in the U.S. alone.
But because Swift writes her own songs, she rolled up a big chunk of change in songwriting royalties as well.
Right behind Swift was iconic rock band U2, who earned a reported $32.1 million thanks to their record-setting 360 Tour — which grossed a whopping $736 million total over two years — including $50 million in merchandise sales and 1.4 million in digital track sales.
Country singer Kenny Chesney was #3 with $29.8 million, followed by previous tally topper Gaga at #4 with $25.3 million. She stayed in the top 5 thanks to sales of Born This Way and its accompanying Monster Ball Tour, which grossed more than $51 million. She also moved 12.7 million digital tracks. Lil Wayne rounded out the top 5 with $23.1 million, made up of 12.3 million digital track sales, $44.7 million in tour grosses and cash from his gig as founder of Young Money Entertainment.
The rest of the top 10: Sade (#6, $16.3 million), Bon Jovi (#7, $15.8 million), Celine Dion (#8, $14.2 million) and Jason Aldean (#9, $13.4 million). Adele rounded out the top 10 list at #10 with $13 million, mostly from the unstoppable streak of her 21 album’s chart run, which included sales of 6.7 million copies last year alone.
The “Glee” cast were just outside the top 10 at #11 ($12.5 million), Katy Perry hit #14 ($11.9 million), Britney Spears was at #16 ($10 million) and like her sisters in pop, Rihanna made it to #22 ($7.6 million) through a combination of album and single sales and touring revenue.
Other notable entries: Enrique Iglesias (#23, $7.4 million), Usher (#30, $6.2 million), Foo Fighters (#31, $6 million), Justin Bieber (#35, $5.5 million), Kanye West (#39, $5.3 million) and Linkin Park (#40, $5.1 million).
Billboard calculated the figures based on proprietary data from its Boxscore archives for concert grosses, Nielsen SoundScan for sales of physical and digital albums, singles and ringtone sales, and Nielsen BDS for terrestrial radio play and streaming service information.
[From MTV]
It feels like Adele should have made more than $13 million, right? Her album smashed so many record sales, and she was on tour for part of the year. So… I’m not sure if these figures are right, but how in the world is Swifty popular enough to have $90 million in touring? Are that many girls buying into Swifty’s shtick? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good shtick, and Swifty sells herself winningly. But I just can’t believe she’s THAT popular.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
I can’t hate on her for all the cash she made. that’s great. But personally I don’t really like her music or her schtick as you call it. I can’t relate to it at all, and at 21, no celebrity is my “role model” anyway. I don’t look up to celebrities for how I should be or how i should live my life. But yes she is very very popular, especially with teen girls. I used to like her music, for the most part.But then I got over it and grew out of that phase, because I think relationships are a lot more complex than how she presents them to be. But kudos to her for making it work.
Her stadium tour was incredibly successful. She sold out Gilette Stadium two nights in a row! I can’t begrudge her it – girl works really, really hard.
Totally. Hope she outdid Justin Bieber and his pubeless ween.
I used to roll my eyes at hearing anything about Taylor Swift, and then I actually started liking her music (more songs than not). And meh, good for her to rake in that much money and create some music that’s generally simple and enjoyable and not full of misery.
I like Adele okay, but whenever I hear “Someone Like You” I cringe at the lines “I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited.” It’s embarrassing. Showing up at an ex’s door to tell him how you’re still in love with him? Get some self-respect please because it’s not a good idea. I’m surprised no one else laughs or cringes when they hear that line.
Probably because it’s honest. If you still have feelings for someone, I’d say it’s pretty normal to want to do that..just take a chance and put yourself out there one last time…now whether one should really act on those desires, is another topic.
She has to be popular enough to sell out stadiums, which she did.
Do I think her image is fake? Hell yes.
Do I think she should ditch it? Hell NO. Miley did and look at how her career went afterwards. People complain about the ‘schtick’ but she keeps doing it for one reason: IT SELLS. Why mess with a formula that is working and making her millions.
I don’t think she is virginal or 100% innocent but I don’t think she is a down low Rihanna either. She probably falls somewhere in between. I have seen some candids videos she has done and she actually seems sweet.
Dp
Her Speak Now World Tour has been incredibly successful with multiple night sellouts of stadiums. Couple that with her cd sales it is no surprise that she would be no 1. This doesn’t include the money she made from endorsements like Cover Girl, greeting card line, concession stand and perfume.
Money talks, critics walk. Go Swifty. Love ya, babe.
I don’t like she is very talented (cannot sing!), but if that’s what girls are into I suppose there are worse things. I’m sure Taylor will mess up eventually and try to go “darker” or even “sexier” and then it will be over.
*I meant that I don’t really THINK that she’s very talented. Not like. Doh!
I say go Taylor! I’d rather her make the money over Katy Perry, Rhianna, JLo, Madonna or even Lady Gaga for that matter. She writes her own songs, that says a lot. She is a smart, smart girl. Her, schtick as you call it is a bit naive and virginal but it suits her and works for her well. I’ll be glad when she just keeps doing what she’s doing. I don’t think she will go to the sexy side because well she doesn’t need to! She raked in all of this money just being herself.
Go Swifty!! Show those trampy pop stars how its done 🙂
She deserves it because:
* She writes her own music
* Can play several instruments really well (piano, guitar) even if only an OK voice.
* Fun, down-to-earth personality (interviews, talking to live concert audiences, SNL skits, etc)
* Clean, cute, marketable image for little girls through young women.
* Crossover of country and pop
This is the magic formula. She is smart and works it well, obviously.
Rant>>
This is bollocks. Celebs are ridiculously overpaid, not just her, all of the bloody F*ckers. Same with athletes. WTF have they actually done for society in a real, monetized, tangible way? Paltry charitable donations notwithstanding.
A teacher and her fireman husband won’t ever see that kind of money in a lifetime, and they actually contribute wholly to society every day they punch a timecard.
Yay capitalism. F*uck.
<<Rant over
Well, to be fair, you do get to choose the kind of work you want to go into and have a good idea of the financial rewards beforehand.
I don’t get how you can say celebrities are overpaid… Especially singers, Singers earn money from music and tour ticket sales so the amount they earn is proportionate to the amount of people buying there stuff so no, they don’t earn too much.
Taylor wrote her album alone as where Adele didnt. Thats probably where Adele lost a lot of money.
Taylor appeals to an audience that is (mostly) catered to: children and young adults. If a person’s kid says they want tickets for Taylor Swift, then they get tickets for Taylor Swift.
Ka-ching.
Agreed aenflex Oh please, swifty is awful and she can’t sing live to save herself and she plays the guitar well Are you kidding me; compared to who – Clapton, beck, randy rhoades, buddy guy; Do tweeners even know what real music sounds like even with all the great stuff from the 60s/70s available on Youtube; She’s awful and without the endless marketing and wrap around media of today she would be still crooning at the Holiday inn lounge in Nashville. And her songwritings immature and laughable.
The amount of stupidity in this site is unbelievable. Taylor is the definition of an artist. A songwriter first, musician & singer follow. What is up with the mindset that a female artist should be able to sing like Whitney or Adele? Sexism much? Some peeps like her music, some don’t. But because of you not liking her music, doesn’t make you have the right to call it sucks (unless you’re a credible & fair rock critic or know a lot about music).
Also, I see you need to learn more about how peeps got it done in music. It’s a little bit hard to learn. But since you’ve asked about it, Google/Wikipedia/Billboard Biz/FutureHitDNA are best that you can find.
Before thinking I’m a teenie. I’m about to turn 20 in less than a month. I play instruments too, but I cannot write for shit. Been around music since I was a kid. I listen to Rock/Hard-Rock/Jazz/Blues/Alt.Country/Alt. Rock and all kind of Indie music. Also huge fan of Fleetwood Mac & AC/DC. And I like Taylor.
I find it insulting that generalization you made here. Catch knowledge and get a life.
Signing out,
Yog.
The reason Taylor is No1 is because the list only takes into account US earnings not worldwide earnings. Pluss Artists usually don’t start recieving royalties from albums for about a year i heard so Adele should be getting those cheques for “21” about now.