Billboard has released a list of the top 40 highest paid artists of 2013, and, well, none of the results are particularly surprising. Of course Taylor Swift tops the list, earning a whopping $39,699,575.60 in 2013. For those unaware, that is a lot of money.

The rankings seem to confirm the modern music industry perspective that recorded music isn’t worth much at all. Sure, it’s important for artists to create and produce new music, but the supporting tours net these artists significantly more money than the recordings themselves. Phish, for example, earned (net) $12.4 million in 2013, despite having not released an album since 2009 and selling only 52,000 copies this year.

Lots of mainstream pop, classic rock, and country singers appear on the list, with a few hip hop exceptions (Kanye, Lil Wayne, Eminem and Jay-Z) along the way. 

The data was calculated by incorporating net revenue from “touring, recorded- music sales, publishing royalties and revenue from digital music and video streaming.” The figures do not include sponsorships and merchandising… so these artists probably made even more money than is listed below. Anyway, here’s the list:

01. Taylor Swift – $39,699,575.60
02. Kenny Chesney – $32, 956,240.70
03. Justin Timberlake – $31,463,297.03
04. Bon Jovi – $29,436,801.04
05. The Rolling Stones – $26,225,121.71
06. Beyoncé – $24,429,176.86
07. Maroon 5 – $22,284,754.07
08. Luke Bryan – $22,142,235.98
09. Pink – $20,072,072.32
10. Fleetwood Mac – $19,123,101.98
11. Justin Bieber – $18,873,458.41
12. Bruno Mars – $18,839,681
13. One Direction – $18,041,472.69
14. Jason Aldean – $17,896,191.98
15. George Strait – $16,002,761.63
16. Jay Z – $15,652,428.82
17. Michael Bublé – $14,478,084
18. Mumford & Sons – $14,172,940.87
19. Dave Matthews Band – $13,932,731.14
20. Rihanna – $12,794,186.16
21. Paul McCartney – $13,769,479.16
22. The Eagles – $13,026,210.18
23. Celine Dion – $12,755,539.71
24. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – $12,473,798.20
25. Phish – $12,406,611.95
26. Kanye West – $11,574,833.92
27. Blake Shelton – $10,349,774.77
28. John Mayer – $10,010,017.17
29. New Kids on the Block – $9,938,526.59
30. Zac Brown Band – $9,888,213.32
31. Imagine Dragons – $9,448,031.68
32. Jimmy Buffett – $9,404,015.71
33. Elton John – $9,369,224.53
34. Rascal Flatts – $9,215,475.78
35. Rush – $9,050,583.42
36. Miranda Lambert – $8,831,605.89
37. Lil Wayne – $8,788,416.66
38. Tim McGraw – $8,761,716.61
39. Eminem – $8,524,782.99
40. Carrie Underwood – $8,051,483.55

[Story and photo courtesy of Billboard, list format courtesy of Consequence of Sound]

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