Breaking Beats: The most expensive playlist
Forbes released the top paid musicians of 2015 on Dec. 8 and the list has some surprises. Katy Perry took the top spot, grossing $135 million. While she crowns the list, there are only five women in the top 3o. That seems crazy — since the biggest musicians on the radio this year were women like Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande. (Neither cracked the top 30). But Katy Perry had some good things to say about being a woman on top for her Forbes’s 100 richest celebrities cover shoot last July: “There is no shame in being a boss,” she posted on Instagram. PREACH ❤
Other artists who made the cut include Taylor Swift(#4), Drake(#23), Beyonce(#14) and Bruno Mars(#22). Some surprises were country stars like Garth Brooks (#3) and Luke Bryan(#20). Most artists made money through major tours; Garth brought in about $1 million per show and at times played back-to-back shows in the same arena. Others banked in on endorsements and other business ventures, like Gaga’s Versace campaign or Diddy’s Ciroc deal. Forbes’ list looked at artists’ earnings from June 2014 to June 2015. Here’s a sampling from some of the top ballers last year.
Katy Perry — Dark Horse ft. Juicy J
Who knew KP was kneading the dough so hard in 2015? $$$ Perry brought in $135 million and took the top spot. TAKE THAT GARTH BROOKS!
Lady Gaga — Do What U Want ft. R.Kelly
I bet Gaga bathes in a tub full of crystals, with her super-sexy husband telling her how beautiful and successful she is while feeding her $1,000 caviar. At least that’s what I like to believe. This song is off the chain, the panicky ‘80s beat works great with Gaga’s ultra powerful voice. I love when she performed the track at the AMAs last year #MoMoneyNoProblems.
Taylor Swift — Style
Last year, Swift brought in $80 million, released a #1 album 1989 and went on tour. Since this list doesn’t look past June 2015 a lot of her tour income isn’t making the cut. But girlfriend’s still loaded. This track is probably the first Swift song I ever legit liked. Rhyming “long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt” and “good-girl faith and a tight, little skirt” is just too cute, so catchy. Oh no, am I Swiffer? J/K her fans are called “Swifties.” I like Swiffer more.
*Since Swift isn’t on Spotify, check out the song and video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmadmM5cOk
Fleetwood Mac — Dreams
Old musicians make money too. Fleetwood Mac racked in $59.5 million this year. “Dreams” is a dope song and Fleetwood Mac holds it down for millennial pop music. I like to break down pop music by whether or not it sounds like Fleetwood, Mariah Carey or New Order. The next song on the list is so Fleetwood-inspired you’d think it were a cover.
One Direction — What a Feeling
One D made the second-most dough at $130 million. Luckily they don’t have to split it with former member and my future baby daddy Zayn Malik ❤. Listen to “What a Feeling” and tell me it doesn’t sound Fleetwood Mac inspired. #SwaggerJackers
Eagles — Hotel California
Most surprising to me (next to Garth Brooks taking the #3 spot) is the Eagles at #5. My dad loves these dudes, but he’s in his 60s, which doesn’t make it any less cool. But how did these guys beat Beyonce, Britney, Nicki and Ari? I guess dads have more money for this old-school stuff.
Calvin Harris — How Deep Is Your Love ft. Disciples
Calvin Harris is not good live. I saw him in Vegas and at Coachella in 2014 and his sets were both so bland I needed to shotgun a bag of Doritos just to get some flavor back in my life. I do think a lot of his music is good though. “How Deep is Your Love” deserves a listen and “We Found Love” was an epic masterpiece in my opinion.
Justin Timberlake — Rock Your Body
Justin made bank this year thanks to his 59 tour dates and endorsement deals with Bud Light, Sony and Sauza tequila. Honestly I’m post Justin Timberlake and I think 20/20 wasn’t anything special. So I’m putting down this classic JT track.
Diddy — Workin ft. Travi$ Scott, Big Sean
Somehow Diddy made $60 million dollars without touring or doing anything particularly musical. I don’t know how he does it but apparently Ciroc and Sean John are enough to #GetMoney. A few weeks ago Diddy released a mixtape but no one noticed. I think MMM is pretty good and worth a listen. This is one of my favorite cuts off the album.
Jay Z — Part ll (On The Run) ft. Beyonce
This power couple came out on top last year but dropped to the 13th and 14th spots in 2015. No biggie though, I’m sure Bey and Jay have something planned for 2016 that will have us all spending $160 to go (Like I did for the On The Run Tour).
The Rolling Stones — Wild Horses
My dad loves this song too. To be fair I think dads everywhere do. The Stones just missed the top 10 list at #11 but they only played 22 shows in the scoring period, which is still pretty baller.
