
It’s probably no surprise that coming in #3 overall and atop the classic rock genre in pulling in the dough are The Rolling Stones, whose $39.6 million in total revenue came largely from touring ($37.3 million). Right behind them at #4 with $31.7 million is an artist whose top position might surprise some: Billy Joel. Nearly all of that – $30.1 million, in fact – came from live performances. But when a guy can sell out Madison Square Garden every month, month after month, he’s a serious draw.

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At #13 is perhaps another surprise: Dave Matthews Band at $14.1 million, nearly all from touring. Elton John’s residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas helped him double his touring income last year and come in at #15 with $12.4 million. Just behind him at #16 is another unexpected yet logical big-time earner: Rush, whose 34-date final R40 tour raked in $10.7 million of their $12 million total.

Who still sells albums? AC/DC, whose whopping $3.4 million in sales and respectable $5.4 million in tour income helped them rake in $10 million. Last but hardly least us Paul McCartney at #33 wth $7.1 million. His $1.4 million he earned from sales includes a quarter of the income from the sale of Beatles recordings, and he took in $4.8 million from touring. His One on One tour will surely move him up the chart for 2016.
The artist who topped the list should surprise no one: Taylor Swift, who raked in $7.2 million in music sales and $61.7 million on tour. But the eye-opening and encouraging takeaway from 2015’s rankings is Adele at #9, who made $20.5 million. She earned a grand total of zero, zip, nada from touring, which is how most artists make most of their income these days. (Her 2016 numbers will reflect the success of her sold-out tour.) But she racked up some serious record sales – over 5.5 million copies of 25 – to post $16.3 in recordings income and $3.7 million from song publishing. Yes, even here in the digital age, some acts still sell records.
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