He may not be charting very often, but Diddy (or Puff Daddy or P. Diddy or, just simply, Sean Combs), is the top earning musician of 2017 according to Forbes.
The rapper and mogul earned $130 million, bringing in cash from his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, Ciroc vodka and the sale of one-third of his Sean John line for $70 million.
Beyonce is second with $105 million with much of the money coming from her tour that wrapped in late 2016. According to Forbes, Bey has brought in $700 million in the last ten years.
More modern artists Drake, The Weeknd and Coldplay round out the top five. Coldplay will reach twenty years of recording next year to be considered by VVN Music as a veteran artist.
Overall, thirteen of the top 20 money earners were veteran artists, showing that they may not be huge on the charts anymore, but they still know how to be a success.
The top five plus other spots with veteran artists:
01. Diddy ($130 million)
02. Beyonce ($105 million)
03. Drake ($94 million)
04. The Weeknd ($92 million)
05. Coldplay ($88 million)
06. Guns N’ Roses ($84 million)
08. Bruce Springsteen ($75 million)
10. Metallica ($66.5 million)
11. Garth Brooks ($60 million)
11. Elton John ($60 million)
13. Paul McCartney ($54 million)
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers ($54 million)
15. Jimmy Buffett ($50.5 million)
18. Kenny Chesney ($42.5 million)
19. Celine Dion ($42 million)
19. Jay-Z ($42 million)
