Taylor Swift has once once more ranked among the highest-paid artists in the past year, but the group Genesis belongs to the top of a Forbes ranking.
Just like the singer Sting (2nd place) who ended the year with US$210 million in his pocket, the British group Genesis sold its music rights last September for nearly US$300 million.
Royalties and costs from his tour and the music he recorded round out the band’s income of $230 million, the magazine reported Monday in its ranking of the highest-paid artists of 2022.
The group The Rolling Stones (7th rank) meanwhile collected US$98 million, largely thanks to their anniversary tour in Europe.
Taylor Swift (No. 9), making the charts for her sixth year, earned most of her US$92 million in revenue from her current and past music.
His music catalog represents regarding 70% of his salary, including profits from streaming and album sales, Forbes said.
Universal Music Group, which derives 3% of its revenue from Swift, sold $50 million worth of physical albums in 2022, according to a JP Morgan analysis reported by the publication.
The duo behind the animated series “South Park”, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (4th ranked with US$160 million), enjoyed another banner year thanks to the income from a contract with HBO Max, notably for the series “Book of Mormon”.
The majority of the two creators’ revenue, however, comes from their agreement with Paramount, signed in 2021, guaranteeing the pair $935 million over six years.
Director James Cameron (8th, with US$95 million) made a return to the top 10 in 2022 following a twelve-year absence, thanks to his new film “Avatar: The Way of Water”.
The franchise film has grossed over US$2.2 billion worldwide, including nearly US$647 million in North America, since its December release.
As for movie stars, only Tyler Perry (3rd place with US$175 million) and Brad Pitt (6th place with US$100 million) were among the top earners in 2022.
They both made most of their income off-screen.
Brad Pitt has sold a majority stake in his production company to European media conglomerate Mediawan, while his roles in ‘Babylon’, ‘Bullet Train’ and ‘The Lost City’ accounted for around a third of his earnings, Forbes reported. .
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny has sold US$400 million in tickets with his two spring and fall tours.
However, it ended the year with US$88 million in its pockets, in particular due to the costs incurred for the creation and travel of said tours.
Celebrities, musicians or creators, the 10 highest-earning artists of 2022 have earned more than US$1.3 billion, according to Forbes. It is however half of the top 10 of last year.
– Genesis – 230 millions $US
– Sting – 210 millions $US
– Tyler Perry – 175 millions $US
– Trey Parker et Matt Stone – 160 millions $US
– James L. Brooks et Matt Groening – 105 millions $US
– Brad Pitt – 100 millions $US
– The Rolling Stone – 98 millions $US
– James Cameron – 95 millions $US
– Taylor Swift – $92 million
– Bad Bunny – 88 millions $US
