Metallica and Guns N' Roses are the two highest-earning rock bands of the year
Business magazine Forbes has released its annual list of the highest-earning musicians of the year.
The top 40 list is littered with the world's biggest pop and hip-hop stars including Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Travis Scott, but stadium-destroying thrash legends Metallica made it into the top ten – earning a whopping $68.5million in 2019. This should come as no surprise, as the band's WorldWired tour (which hit Europe this summer) was named the sixth highest-grossing tour of the year, beating Ariana Grande, Paul McCartney and Spice Girls.
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Guns N' Roses also made it into 2019's highest earners club, rocking in at number 25 with earnings of $44million in 2019. Since their reformation in 2016 with Duff McKagan and Slash, GN'R's Not In This Lifetime tour has notched up over 170 shows across the globe, pulling in over $500m in the box office. It's no wonder there are rumours of a new album.
Here are the top 25 highest-earning musicians of 2019:
1. Taylor Swift ($185m)
2. Kanye West ($150m)
3. Ed Sheeran ($110m)
4. The Eagles ($100m)
5. Elton John ($84m)
6. Jay-Z ($81m)
6. Beyoncé ($81m)
8. Drake ($75m)
9. Diddy ($70m)
10. Metallica ($68.5m)
11. Rihanna ($62m)
12. Travis Scott ($58m)
13. Justin Timberlake ($57.5m)
13. Katy Perry ($57.5m)
15. Pink ($57m)
15. BTS ($57m)
17. Billy Joel ($52m)
18. Bruno Mars ($51m)
19. Eminem ($50m)
19. Jimmy Buffet ($50m)
21. Fleetwood Mac ($49m)
22. Paul McCartney ($48m)
22. Ariana Grande ($48m)
24. The Chainsmokers ($46m)
25. Guns N' Roses ($44m)
Metallica look set to earn even more from festivals next year, playing two different headline sets at each Danny Wimmer weekender in the United States.
Catch Metallica at one of the following next year:
Epicenter - May 1-3 - Concord, North Carolina
Welcome To Rockville - May 8-10 - Daytona Beach, Florida
Sonic Temple - May 15-17 - Columbus, Ohio
Louder Than Life - Sept 18-20 - Louisville, Kentucky
Aftershock - October 9-11 - Sacramento, California
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