Genesis, Sting and Rolling Stones spotted on Forbes’ top 10 highest paid entertainers list
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Forbes’ freshly published annual list of highest-paid entertainers might get you considering a career in rockstar-hood.
Coming out top is Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Genesis, who pocketed $300 million from their catalogue sale to Concord Music Group last September. The group, made up of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, had a combined earnings of $230 million, a portion of which came from touring and recorded music royalties.
Next, former Police frontman Sting ranked a close second with a total income of $210 million. Like Genesis, Sting’s near $300 million songwriting catalogue deal (which included both solo music and works he released with his old band) with Universal Music Group made up the bulk of his earnings. The 17-time Grammy winner is also the highest-earning solo artist on last year’s list.
And last but not least, seasoned hard rockers Rolling Stones landed themselves in seventh place after raking in $98 million from their 60th anniversary tour across Europe last summer. According to concert tracker Pollstar, the band pocketed over $8.5 million per night during the 15-city tour. The band’s six-part mini-documentary series, The Rolling Stones Chronicles was also recently released on YouTube. Each episode will each feature a different ‘60s era hit song from the Stones, combined with interview clips and historical footage.
Check out the full list here.