FORBES RELEASES LIST OF HIGHEST-PAID ENTERTAINERS
Written by TFM on 17/02/2023
Forbes has just released it’s list of the “the World’s Highest-Paid Entertainers – which covers the planets top 10 earning celebrities in 2022 – this year’s biggest earners hauled in a cool $1.35 billion.
1 – Genesis $230 M
Genesis topped the list with a $300 million music rights sale to Concord Music Group in September. The deal comprised publishing rights and a selection of recorded music income streams, that along with touring and recorded music royalties rounded out their income
Genesis lead singer Phil Collins.Getty/Scott Legato
2 – Sting $210 M
The former Police front man and 17-time Grammy winner pocketed $300 million before fees by selling his entire musical output, both solo and with the Police, to Universal Music Group in February
Sting is the former lead singer of The Police.Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images
3 – Tyler Perry $175M
Perry – actor – director – writer – studio mogul has had another lucrative year thanks to simultaneous income streams from film, his BET TV shows (“House of Payne,” “Assisted Living” and “All the Queen’s Men”) and the production backlot he owns outright in Atlanta. Perry is the list’s sole billionaire with an estimated $1 billion fortune, and this is his second year among Forbes’s top 10 highest paid entertainers.
Tyler Perry.Theo Wargo/WireImage/Getty
4 – Trey Parker & Matt Stone $160M
The duo behind South Park had another banner year, thanks to earning from a legacy HBO Max Deal and their comedy musical Book of Mormon. In 2021 they signed an exclusive deal with Paramount which guarantees the pair $935 million over six years.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker in 2017.Getty/Chris Hopkins
5 – James L Brooks & Matt Groening $105M
Brooks and Groening are the creators of America’s favourite yellow cartoon family The Simpsons. They show migrated all 30 seasons to Disney+ from FX in an April 2019 streaming deal that pocketed Brooks and Groening $105 million annually after fees according to Forbes.
James Brooks, Matt Groening.Getty/Rodin Eckenroth
6 – Brad Pitt $100M
Pitt’s majority sale of his Plan B production company in December earned the actor an estimated $113 million after fees. Pitt also earned an additional estimated 30 million from roles in Bullet Train, Babylon and the Lost City.
Brad Pitt.Steve Granitz/WireImage
7 – Rolling Stones $98M
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and company got a lot of satisfaction from a $136 million grossing tour and record royalties. The British rockers pocketed over $8.5 million per night on a 15-city tour across Europe last summer, according to concert tracker Pollstar.
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs in France in 2017.Brian Rasic/WireImage
8 – James Cameron $95M
James Cameron’s second outing to Pandora netted him at least $95 million according to industry insiders. The success of the film means the director now claims three of the highest grossing movies of all time, alongside the first “Avatar” (200) and “Titanic” 1997
James Cameron.Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty
9 – Taylor Swift $92 M
Taylor Swifts combined income streams include physical record sales, streaming on platforms like Spotify, digital downloads, licensing, and sync. Her 2022 album “Midnights” has 1.8 million copies in the US along according to Billboard plus she’ll also be on the road for 52 nights across the US with her 2023 Midnights tour with a potential nine-figure payout as a result.
Taylor Swift.Getty/Jamie McCarthy
10 – Bad Bunny $88 M
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny who appeared alongside Brad Pitt in Bullet Train, mad most of his money from his two tours “El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo and “The World’s Hottest Tour” as well as having endorsements deals with the likes of Corona, Cheetos and Adidas.
Bad Bunny.Getty/Amy Sussman
Article: various sources including Forbes and Insider.