Hannah Montana, Celine Hit Some (Bank) Notes
We take a look at the top-earning music stars and the millions they make.
Jan. 31, 2008 Special to ABCNEWS.com — -- Amid the gloom and doom that enveloped the music business in 2007, a select number of recording artists managed to find a way to generate mad money.
Forget the year's hot new acts. Veterans like the Police and Celine Dion were among the biggest commercial forces of 2007. Others included younger established stars such as Josh Groban and the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana.
To compile our list of pop's biggest cash machines, Forbes looked at how much leading recording artists generated in U.S. music sales and North American concert grosses in 2007. Our estimates, which don't calculate how much income each artist pocketed, include concert revenue data from Pollstar, music sales tallies from Nielsen SoundScan and pricing information from NPD Group. The numbers are meant to provide a snapshot, not a complete picture--revenue from licensing deals, merchandise sales and mobile sales aren't included.
Click here to learn more about music's biggest sellers at our partner site, Forbes.com.
Playing live was a big cash generator for all the artists on our list. By far the biggest tour of the year was the Police reunion, as Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland decided to bury the hatchet and hit the road for the first time since 1986. Financially, it was a no-brainer: The trio generated $133.2 million in concert receipts at an average ticket price of $112--and that's face value. In all, the band racked up an impressive $142.4 million in concert tickets and music sales.
The even unlikelier reunion of Van Halen with original frontman David Lee Roth also did well. This slightly revamped version of the band, with Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang replacing longtime bassist Michael Anthony, charged about the same average ticket price as the Police but played fewer and smaller venues. Still, $56.7 million in North American grosses is nothing to sniff at.
Other big live draws were country singer Kenny Chesney, who grossed $71.1 million on the road; Justin Timberlake, who sold $70.6 million in concert tickets; and Celine Dion, who generated $65.3 million during the final year of her "A New Day … " show at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
