When you look at the numbers of rock and metal bands and compared them to pop artists like Taylor Swift or Adele, it’s obvious that they’re never going to be close to making those figures. Having said that, there are a handful of successful bands that still make enough money to make it to Forbes‘ annual list of top-paid celebrities and we have those names for you.
The list is comprised of celebrities in every entertainment industry, with musicians taking over a good portion of it. Among those artists, you will find the usual pop artists like One Direction, Madonna and Taylor Swift, who tops the entire list with a whooping $170M from music sales, touring and endorsements.
But you’ll also find more interesting artists like AC/DC, which takes the 17th spot with a gross earning of $67.5M in the past 12 months, making it the highest-paid rock band on the list. Following next would be The Rolling Stones in the 18th spot with $66.5M in revenue, U2 rank at #30 with an estimated $55 million. Muse took 44th with $49 million, with Foo Fighters following next as 45th, with $48.5M.
We have pointed out those AC/DC or Rolling Stones numbers on our boxscore but it’s still impressive to see rock prevailing in the music industry the way it is. It’s worth noting that with the exception of Muse, none of the bands on the list released an album last year. And the most profitable rock bands are classic bands that have been around for years and will continue touring for as long as they can (with one possible exception) which makes us wonder what will take their place once they call it a day. Only time will tell.
You can find the whole list over at Forbes.com.
