Who Is the Top-Earning American Idol Alum?

May 20, 2009— -- LOS ANGELES -- For Adam Lambert or Kris Allen, winning tonight's much-anticipated American Idol finale will mean a short-lived media frenzy and the sudden adoration of millions of fans. It could also mean a big paycheck down the road.

David Cook, the scruffy rocker and winner of the last Idol competition, earned an estimated $2 million since June of 2008. That's a huge boost from what Cook made as a struggling singer-songwriter in Tulsa, Okla., before the winning the Idol crown last May.

Click here to learn more about the top-earning American Idols at our partner site, Forbes.com.

Forbes estimates that Cook generated the bulk of his income from the 1.1 million copies sold of his self-titled major label debut album. Cook supplemented his music sales with a live tour and a product sponsorship deal with sneaker maker Skechers.

Cook's final competitor, David Archuleta, has also enjoyed a remarkably lucrative year since making it to the Idol finals. Archuleta made an estimated $1.3 million from sales of his first album and more than 100 live concerts.

Yet for a lesson in how to build truly massive riches, the current finalists should study the brief career of season-four winner Carrie Underwood. The farm girl turned songstress has gone on to a hugely lucrative recording, touring and product endorsement career. Underwood raked in an estimated $14 million last year, enough to secure the title of top-earning Idol alum.

With her carefully crafted Nashville pop, Underwood cultivates a massive audience spanning both country and Top 40 fans. Her debut album, Some Hearts, spent 11 weeks in 2007 at the top of the Billboard album charts. Songs from her second effort, Carnival Ride, got massive airplay on both country and adult alternative radio. All told, Underwood has sold 9.6 million albums and 10.7 million digital downloads, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Along with producing crowd-pleasing albums, Underwood understands the financial importance of hitting the road. She has played more than 300 shows since her Idol win. Each performance brings in about $350,000 to be split between Underwood and the concert promoter, according to Pollstar.