Forbes’ list of 2010’s top-earning Hollywood players is led, unsurprisingly, by Oprah. Slightly more surprising is the rundown of musicians who made the Top 20, with their respective rankings: Beyoncé (Nine), Britney Spears (13), Lady Gaga (14), Madonna (15), Miley Cyrus (18), and Taylor Swift (19). That’s six women, all in their teens or twenties (save for Madonna, who celebrated her Sweet 16 Plus 36 this past summer), who record pop music.
No rock stars slipped into the Top 20 (no big shocker), but no hip-hop stars made it, either — note to 50 Cent, shoveling driveways at $100 a pop isn’t gonna help. The closest the list comes to naming a male music personality is Simon Cowell, who pulled in $80 million being hard on Andrew Garcia this past year.
So, what do all these rich lady singers have in common? Merchandising of course. Clothing lines, fragrances, makeup endorsements, etc. What, you thought people made money selling albums?
