Taylor Swift had a big year in 2022. She smashed records with her tenth studio album, Midnights, which made her the first artist in history to take all top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100 song list. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter also personally helped further the ongoing vinyl revival, with Midnights moving 945,000 copies last year, the largest yearly sales figure for a vinyl album since Luminate began tracking sales in 1991. Overall, one out of every 25 vinyl albums sold in the U.S. in 2022 was a Taylor Swift album. Also, her fans broke Ticketmaster.
Despite all those achievements, however, they weren’t enough to top Forbes‘ new list of the Top 10 Highest Paid Entertainers of 2022, with the top slot going to Genesis. The progressive rock forefathers Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford took home #1 on the list thanks to a $300 million publishing deal (which didn’t even include the group’s work with original frontman Peter Gabriel).
Genesis placing first is emblematic of the rest of the Forbes finalists, many of whom scored huge paydays in 2022 thanks to large-scale publishing deals, selling off various assets, long-term contracts, and more. Similar to Genesis, Sting placed #2 after the singer inked a $300 million deal for his solo output and work fronting The Police.
Other artists dot Forbes‘ Top 10 Highest Paid Entertainers of 2022 list, with Tyler Perry coming in at #3 with $175 million last year. The media mogul appears on the list for the second year in a row and is reportedly the only billionaire included. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone—who last year crossed over from the screen to the stage at the series’ 25th-anniversary blowout at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Ween and Primus—cruised into the fourth spot thanks to a structured payout of their six-year/$935 million deal with Paramount.
The Simpsons heads James L. Brooks and Matt Groening place in the middle of the pack atop actor Brad Pitt at #6. Below the Bullett Train heartthrob, rock legends the Rolling Stones come in at #7. No big publishing deal was necessary for The Stones, who made over $8.5 million a night on a 15-city tour of Europe last summer. Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron came in eighth, placing just ahead of Taylor Swift at #9. With a 52-date tour looming in 2023, chances are good Swift will return to the Top 10 list this time next year.
Finally, rounding out Forbes‘ Top 10 Highest Paid Entertainers list is Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny. The international pop star mounted two tours in 2022 that altogether brought in over $400 million worth of ticket sales. The second of the outings, the appropriately titled The World’s Hottest Tour, was a lavish affair, requiring 35 to 40 trucks to drive equipment across the U.S. and three planes—including a 747 cargo jet—to cart the stage setup to Latin America. The end result left Bad Bunny with a lower payout, though it was eventually leveled out by endorsements from Corona, Cheetos, and Adidas.
See the detailed list over on Forbes.
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