Beyoncé and Rihanna Rank In Forbes’ Highest-Paid Women In Music 2018

Forbes just named the music industry’s top female earners of 2018. Beyoncé comes in the third position after Katy Perry (no. 1 with $83 million) and Taylor Swift (no. 2 with $80 million). Following the birth of her twins in June 2017, Beyoncé managed to rack in $60 million, even though she’d had a quiet year, by her standards, until delivering a groundbreaking performance at Coachella and dropping a joint album with Jay-Z in June. The album, Everything Is Love, was supported by their successful On The Run II stadium tour.

“I’m never satisfied,” she once told Forbes. “I’ve never met anyone that works harder than me in my industry.”

Rihanna lands in the 7th position from the top with $37.5 million in earning. Since the singer hasn’t released a new album or even toured in the past year, a significant part of her income came from her ventures in beauty and fashion. Both her cosmetics brand Fenty and her Savage Lingerie line have been praised for their insistence on inclusivity. The focus on marketing towards women of all shapes, sizes, and complexion clearly paid off. Rihanna has also stayed in the public eye with starring roles in films like Ocean’s 8.

Elsewhere on the list is Katy Perry, who tops the list as the highest paid woman in music, pulling in $83 million pretax during Forbes’ scoring period. One of the hardest-working names on the list, Perry played 80 dates of her Witness: The Tour in Forbes’ June-to-June timeframe, grossing over $1 million per night. She also managed to find time to serve as a judge on ABC’s American Idol reboot, reportedly earning north of $20 million for her troubles.

Taylor Swift ranks second with $80 million. The superstar songstress briefly disappeared from social media last year before roaring back with the launch of new album Reputation, which sold two million copies worldwide in its opening week. The only reason she didn’t claim the top spot on this list? Most of her Reputation Stadium Tour dates fell just outside this year’s scoring period.

Of course, making music isn’t the only way these musicians are making bank. In addition to Rihanna, Lady Gaga (No. 5, $50 million) added “movie star” to her résumé this year, thanks to a critically acclaimed turn in A Star Is Born alongside Bradley Cooper. Besides playing 66 shows during Forbes’ scoring period, Gaga also cashed in from deals with Versace and MAC, as well as her own Fame fragrance.

Jennifer Lopez, who ranks at Number 6 with $47 million, released new single “Dinero” with DJ Khaled and Cardi B in May, an appropriate title given that her earnings increased 24% year-over-year. She added to her total with a lucrative Las Vegas residency, a bevy of endorsements and shows including World of Dance.

There were plenty of female musicians who had lucrative years but didn’t quite make the list. Among them: Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Selena Gomez, Madonna, Halsey and Janet Jackson, all of whom tallied double-digit millions. They’ll look to crack the top 10 next year.

The Full List of Forbes’ Highest-Paid Women In Music 2018:

1. Katy Perry ($83 million)

2. Taylor Swift ($80 million)

3. Beyoncé ($60 million)

4. Pink ($52 million)

5. Lady Gaga ($50 million)

6. Jennifer Lopez ($47 million)

7. Rihanna ($37.5 million)

8. Helene Fischer ($32 million)

9. Celine Dion ($31 million)

10. Britney Spears ($30 million)