Like every year, Forbes magazine published the list of the highest-earning people in the entertainment business. Collectively, the top ten earned more than $1.3 billion last year. A lot of money – but not nearly as much as the top earners in 2021, including Jay-Z or Kanye West, had collected: more than $ 2.7 billion. It was a year when several entertainment veterans like Bruce Springsteen or “Lord of the Rings” creator Peter Jackson sold the rights to their works.
Last year’s top earners included celebrities such as aging rock stars, animated series creators, and gentlemen appearing on the Forbes list after more than a decade. Only one woman could keep up with the men in terms of annual salary. After all, it is one more than in 2021. Taylor Swift is back in the top ten, which she even led in 2019.
Last but not least, the list also shows that most of the money can still be found in the Anglo-Saxon, especially in the US, cultural area: six of the top ten earners come from the US or Canada, another three from England and only one from Puerto Rico (de facto also US territory).
Bad Bunny: $88 million
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper best known for his combination of reggaeton and Latin trap – although much better in the US and Latin America than in Europe.
In 2022, Bad Bunny earned the lion’s share of his revenue from two tours: “El Último Tour Del Mundo”, where he performed in arenas, and “The World’s Hottest Tour”, in which he played in the largest possible stadiums for the first time. time. Advertising deals with companies like Corona, Cheetos and Adidas made up the rest of the whopping $88 million.
Taylor Swift: $92 million
Although the singer had a hugely successful year musically in 2022, much of her income comes from music she has produced in previous years: Swift’s income is a combination of physical record sales, streaming on platforms such as Spotify, digital downloads, licensing and dubbing.
Her loyal fan base, the “Swifties”, were always by the singer’s side in 2022. With her latest album “Midnights”, Swift also set a new record last year: no one before her managed to simultaneously occupy all the top ten places in the US charts with their own songs.
The wide reach and popularity of Taylor Swift should not disappoint in 2023 either: the demand for tickets for her “Midnights” tour in the current year is already high. Swift will perform 52 nights in various venues across the US and potentially earn a nine-figure sum, according to Forbes.
James Cameron: $95 million
In the second installment in the Avatar series, Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron directed three of the highest-grossing films of all time in 2022, in addition to the first, Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997). According to industry insiders, his second foray into the fantasy world of Pandora netted him at least $95 million, according to Forbes.
Rolling Stones: $98 million
In 2022, the “Stones” took in $98 million after expenses when they performed their hits on their “Sixty” European tour and celebrated their 60th anniversary. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and co generated a whopping $136 million in tour revenue last year.
According to concert organizer Pollstar, the British rockers earned more than $8.5 million per night last summer during a 15-city tour of Europe.
Brad Pitt: $100 million
Pitt’s December majority sale of his production company, Plan B, netted the actor an estimated $113 million after fees. Plan B was founded over 20 years ago by Brad Grey, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. In 2005, Aniston and Pitt divorced, Gray became CEO of Paramount Pictures, and Pitt subsequently became the sole owner of the production company.
According to Forbes, the value of Plan B lies mainly in the brand. The company has produced several Oscar-winning films such as Moonlight, 12 Years a Slave and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. However, a lawyer testified that Plan B “doesn’t really own assets” as the company just produces projects rather than owning them.
But Pitt also did “traditional” work in 2022: Last year, the actor earned an estimated $ 30 million extra with roles in “Bullet Train,” “Babylon” and “The Lost City.”
James L Brooks and Matt Groening: $105 million
In April 2019, all 30 seasons of America’s favorite yellow cartoon family, The Simpsons, were moved from FX Networks to Disney+. Disney previously acquired Fox for $52 billion.
The series’ co-creators, Brooks and Groening, were not particularly enthusiastic about this migration of their cartoon series, according to Forbes. According to sources familiar with the deal, they earn $105 million annually after fees. This was not known before the deal.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone: $160 million
Another creative duo that made the top ten in entertainment: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who in 1997 brought to life the comic book series “South Park”. The couple had another successful year thanks to revenue from a deal with HBO Max for their Book of Mormon, a comedy musical about the church.
However, Parker and Stone owe most of their income to a mega deal: in 2021, the two signed a contract with Paramount that guarantees them more than $ 900 million over six years. The deal includes new “South Park” projects that will stream exclusively on Paramount+.
Tyler Perry: $175 million
The American has various job titles: actor, film and television director, screenwriter and film producer.
Perry has had another lucrative year in 2022 thanks to concurrent earnings from movies, several television shows (the rights to which he owns), and a sprawling Atlanta factory that he wholly owns. In his second year on Forbes’ top ten highest-paid entertainers, the 53-year-old is the only billionaire on the list with an estimated net worth of just under $1 billion.
Stitch: $210 million
The 17-time Grammy winner and former Police frontman is known for hits like ‘Every Breath You Take’ and ‘Roxanne’, neither of which are recent hits.
Still, Sting raised an estimated $300 million last year, not including fees. The reason: in February he sold all his musical work, both solo and with The Police, to Universal Music Group.
Genesis: $230 million
Another group of old rockers will even top the list of the highest earners in the business in 2022: British rock band Genesis, formed in 1967.
The pioneers of progressive rock sold large parts of their life’s work in September: music rights worth $ 300 million went to the Concord Music Group. So Genesis was considered quite valuable – even though the contract excludes products from former member Peter Gabriel.
The deal included copyrights and a series of recorded earnings for the group, as well as solo earnings from drummer and vocalist Phil Collins (including his hit “In The Air Tonight”) and bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Tour and record earnings rounded out the group’s income for the past year.
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Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
