Pop star Lady Gaga has landed at the top of Billboard magazine’s recently published list of artists based on 2010 U.S. earnings from touring and music sales. As CD sales continue to fall, notes the magazine, and the industry is in turmoil as it struggles to come up with the best way to market music in this brave new digital world.
While touring is one of the biggest revenue earners, the magazine makes it clear that the rankings are only based on U.S. earnings – which might explain the absence of U2 from the top ten, among others. Touring income varied greatly, since Bon Jovi, for example earned 90 percent of their income on the road, while Susan Boyle, earned most of her income from music sales and didn’t tour the U.S. last year.
At $30.5 million in estimated U.S. earnings, Lady Gaga almost tied Bon Jovi, who earned $30.4 million. In a surprising third place, Roger Waters, former Pink Floyd frontman, amassed $24.4 million.
In fourth place, the Dave Matthews Band earned $23.9 million, surpassing the $22.4 million banked by the first Canadian in the group, Justin Bieber. Another Canadian, Michael Bublé managed to sneak into the top ten at seventh place with $19.8 million, just a million shy of Taylor Swift’s $20.7 million sixth place position.
Rounding out the top ten, The Eagles are eighth with $18.3 million, Black Eyed Peas in ninth with $16.8 million, and Sir Paul McCartney, earning $14.1 million is in tenth place.