The World’s 25 Highest Paid Musicians For 2012…..Don’t Include Richard D. James

Forbes has released a list of the World’s Highest Paid Musicians for 2012.

And, yet again, international superballer Richard D. James, right, did not make the cut.

Forbes embeds the list in an ungodly long and slow slideshow, but you can cut to the chase and check it out below.

The World’s Highest Paid Musicians For 2012

  • Dr. Dre – $110 million
  • Roger Waters – $88 million
  • Elton John – $80 million
  • U2 – $78 million
  • Take That – $69 million
  • Bon Jovi – $60 million
  • Britney Spears – $58 million
  • Paul McCartney – $57 million (tie)
  • Taylor Swift – $57 million (tie)
  • Justin Bieber – $55 million (tie)
  • Toby Keith – $55 million (tie)
  • Rihanna – $53 million
  • Lady GaGa – $52 million
  • Foo Fighters – $47 million
  • Diddy – $45 million (tie)
  • Katy Perry – $45 million (tie)
  • Kenny Chesney – $44 million
  • Beyoncé – $40 million
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 million
  • Jay-Z – $38 million
  • Coldplay – $37 million
  • Adele – $35 million (tie)
  • Kanye West – $35 million (tie)
  • Michael Bublé – $34 million
  • Sade – $33 million

32 thoughts on “The World’s 25 Highest Paid Musicians For 2012…..Don’t Include Richard D. James

    1. On the positive side, we included an great RDJ photo, used the word ‘superballer’ in a post and provided awesome rant-fodder.

    2. i believe the nod to RDJ was a joke… regardless, if the owner of the site wants to post images of naked midgets wearing mexican wrestler masks while riding minature donkeys into the sunset, that is his right.

    1. Diddy released “Last Train To Paris” a few years back, it wasn’t any good.

      The only time Dr. Dre appears is when someone writes a verse for him to sound like a groggy old man. The only major body of work he’s produced recently is Eminem’s Relapse in 2009 (which nearly no one cares about except maybe me and Earl Sweatshirt).

      It’d be better to title this “people who at one time were musicians or know actual musicians that help them make music that make a lot of money”

      1. Dre was the executive producer, is featured, produced songs for Kendrick Lamar’s new album “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” which is the best rap album to come out since Kanye West was good forever ago.

    2. Well, Dre did put out Kush about two years ago, and I Need A Doctor something over a year ago as well, both from the Detox record (call me crazy, I think it may still be released, someday). And considering his work as a producer in the past, I’m not surprised he gets paid a lot just to pop his head into a studio for many artists., even though I can’t say I’m that impressed with what he has produced for others lately.

    3. she has “lots” of great parts (not really great singing voice), but great bits.

      but the amount of money these people make, for what they do is… disgusting

    1. Beyerdynamics are not that expensive and Dre was the executive producer of Kendrick Lamar’s new album. Since it seems no one keeps up I recommend giving it a listen especially if you wrote rap off a decade ago.

  1. What a weird post. Why is it so surprising that Richard D James isnt in the top 25? He’s hardly a household name like GaGa or Edel. Daft Punk aren’t there either, or Depeche Mode, so what?

    What is interesting is that Sade is on the list. 33 million. Wow. Fair play to her lasting this long.

      1. Yes, familiar with the concept of humour, and if it had said ‘The Brett Domino Trio’ weren’t on the list we might have got it, but Richard D James probably was at one point in his career one of the highest earners in the electronic music world, therefore theres not really any irony in the post. Therefore not funny.

        1. I applaud your understanding of humor as irony which is lost on just about the whole entire universe. But I comprehended it as irony when I read it because I would expect the opposite of the writer expecting James to be on the list. Anyways, the whole problem of using irony for laughs is no one really knows when someones is serious or not.

  2. Well if you need to know how the writer perceives Richard D James in order to understand that he’s being ironic, then its a private joke for those who know the writer, which I dont think was the intention.

    I dont actually care either way.

  3. Once again this list show how little making money has to do with making good music/art.
    As for the Richie mention its probably just to remind us that the person posting knows this.

  4. Who actually cares less – aphex schmaphex – it’s only money – a concept – ink on paper – pixels on a screen – refraction of light – a big dick competition ? My disgust for humanity grows by the second.

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