They may have had a rocky start to 2015 with the announcement that Zayn Malik was leaving the band, but One Direction most definitely had a wonderful and incredibly lucrative 2014. In fact the guys of One Direction had a $46 million year, earning them the top spot on Billboard’s Money-Makers List: Music’s Top Earners of 2014. The band’s closest competitor is Katy Perry who came in at second place on the list with earnings of $30.1 million.
One Direction is estimated to have grossed a cool $40.7 million from their Where We Are tour, which pulled in attendance from more than 3.4 million fans. With one of the most successful tours of the year and strong album and streaming sales, One Direction has proven to be an industry powerhouse. Currently the band has embarked upon their On The Road Again Tour, and they are said to be working on their fifth studio album and their first as a quartet. It remains to be seen if One Direction will be able to maintain the title of a top earner in 2015.
New father Justin Timberlake claimed the third spot on this year’s list with earnings of $27.9 million, again with a majority of his revenue coming from concert sales. Paul McCartney made his way into the number 7 spot, earning the 72 year old the title of the oldest celebrity on the chart. Others in the top ten include Billy Joel at fourth place, The Eagles at number 5, and country crooner Luke Bryan in sixth place. Fellow country artist George Strait managed to place at the number 8 spot, while hip-hop mogul and TIDAL enthusiast Jay-Z fall in at number 9, and Jason Aldean rounded out the top 10 with respectable earnings of $20.2 million.
Bruno Mars fell in at number 11 and was responsible for the highest earnings in terms of record sales. Others on the list include Beyonce, Cher, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Drake, Celine Dion, Rihanna, and many others. Iconic rocker Tom Petty came in at the bottom of the list, grossing a still solid $6.7 million. Overall, the top forty musicians from 2014 grossed a staggering $584 million.
According to the numbers, touring was the most lucrative way to earn money during 2014 and was responsible for more than 80% of artist. Sales came in second place, netting a mere 13.3% of all revenue, while publishing and streaming were significantly lower. Streaming was the least lucrative way for an artist to make money, accounting for only 2.1% of an artist’s income. The wealthiest genres of 2014 include rock (responsible for 35%) and pop (responsible for 32.5%), with country close behind and responsible for 22.5% of all revenue. Artists in their 30s and 60s were responsible for 50% of all revenue generated, while musicians in their 20s and 30s were overall responsible for 40% of the revenue.
FDRMX Eyes: Pacovolume is a French Indie Rock artist from Paris. Check out his video “Cookie Machine.”
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