FORBES’ FIVE TOP WOMEN IN MUSIC, 2014

Beyonce
Forbes reports that 2013-14 was “the biggest year of Beyoncé’s career”: a bestselling new album, which is soon to be reissued; clothing and fragrance lines; sponsorships from H&M and Pepsi; and above all a hugely profitable tour. The singer played 95 gigs in the past year, grossing an average of $2.4m (£1.5m) in each city. It is no wonder she has been named 2014’s top-earning woman in music, doubling her earnings from the year before. The 33-year-old singer grew her fortune by an estimated $115m (£71.8m) in just 12 months.

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was the year’s second most profiting female musician, earning a career-high $64m (£40m). This figure does not include any of the money from Swift’s new record, 1989, which has sold more than 1.5m copies during its first week on sale.

Pink


Interestingly, the sale of music is not particularly important to any of the top-earning female musicians. Of the Forbes list’s top five, only Beyoncé and Katy Perry released albums this year: Swift, Rihanna and Pink earned tens of millions without the benefit of new music.

These singers earn the majority of their income from tour-dates and endorsement contracts. Forbes’ five top earning women in music Beyoncé - $115m Taylor Swift - $64m Pink - $52m Rihanna - $48m Katy Perry - $40m