Katy Perry has been named this year’s highest-earning female musician by Forbes magazine, more than tripling her earnings from last year. According to the magazine, Perry made £87m ($135m) between June 2014 and June 2015.
The pop star’s Prismatic world tour contributed to the bulk of her earnings, helping her cash in approximately £1.3m ($2m) per city on the 126-date tour. As has become standard practice in mainstream pop, Perry added to her tour earnings with sponsorships. She has deals with cosmetics brand Covergirl, fashion accessory brand Claire’s and Coty, the company responsible for releasing Perry’s fragrances.
Perry ranked fifth on last year’s list, with Forbes reporting £25.9m ($40m) in her total earnings. Taylor Swift, who’s also had a busy year on her 1989 world tour, ranked second on the list for the second year running. She made £51.9m ($80m) accordingto Forbes’ calculation.
Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac completed the list’s top three, reportedly making £38.6m ($59.5m) thanks to the band’s 86-date It’s On with the Show tour. Tour revenue accounted for most of the top five women’s earnings, though the huge commercial success of Swift’s album 1989 would have added to her fortune.
Lady Gaga ranked fourth on the list, making money from both live dates and deals with Mac cosmetics and Versace, while Beyoncé – last year’s top earner – dropped to fifth place.
Forbes’ top-earning women in music in 2015
- Katy Perry: £87m ($135m)
- Taylor Swift: £51.9m ($80m)
- Fleetwood Mac: £38.6m ($59.5m)
- Lady Gaga: £38.3m ($59m)
- Beyoncé: £35.4m ($54.5m)
Source: The Guardian
