The 47-year-old hip-hop mogul earned $110 million based largely on his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones line. He pocketed a reported $100 million pretax when handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year. He and his partners later bought back half of what they sold.
Forbes’ Highest-Paid Musicians 2012
1. Dr. Dre – $110 million
2. Roger Waters – $88 million
3. Elton John – $80 million
4. U2 – $78 million
5. Take That – $69 million
6. Bon Jovi – $60 million
7. Britney Spears – $58 million
8. Paul McCartney – $57 million (tie)
8. Taylor Swift – $57 million (tie)
10. Justin Bieber – $55 million (tie)
10. Toby Keith – $55 million
12. Rihanna – $53 million
13. Lady Gaga – $52 million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 million
15. Diddy – $45 million (tie)
15. Katy Perry – $45 million (tie)
17. Kenny Chesney – $44 million
18. Beyoncé – $40 million
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 million
20. Jay-Z – $38 million
21. Coldplay – $37 million
22. Adele – $35 million (tie)
22. Kanye West – $35 million (tie)
24. Michael Bublé – $34 million
25. Sade – $33 million