Top 10 List for Income Is All Men, Plus Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift joined the male-dominated list of the 10 highest-paid entertainers for 2022, the only woman on the Forbes list. The singer ranked ninth, per CNBC, after pulling in $92 million. Demand for her music was clear: Her songs held all Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall, an industry first, after the release of her album Midnights, and 14 million of her fans wanting to see her in concert crashed Ticketmaster—a debacle that led to a Senate hearing. Forbes' arrives at its total by adding up 2022 pretax earnings, then subtracting fees paid to managers, lawyers, and the like, as well as business operating costs.

As successful as her new releases were, the bulk of Swift's income—roughly 70%—was generated by her catalog. That includes album sales and streaming revenue. Swift has been in the Top 10 six times, and was No. 1 in 2019. Genesis topped the list this time, on the strength of selling its music rights for $300 million. Next came Sting at $210 million, Tyler Perry at $175 million, Trey Parker and Matt Stone at $160 million, James L. Brooks and Matt Groening at $105 million, Brad Pitt at $100 million, the Rolling Stones at $98 million, and James Cameron at $95 million. Bad Bunny ranked 10th with $88 million. (More Taylor Swift stories.)