Dr. Dre tops Forbes’ highest paid musicians 2012 list

Here comes that time again when us regular folk find out who’s earning what in the music world – and it’s no small change. The top 25 earners of 2012 on the Forbes list are a who’s who of every genre of music from Hip-Hop to Rock to Pop and all the way back again. He may not be so prominent on the frontlines of music anymore, but Hip-Hop legend Dr. Dre is still leaving everyone in his dust as his total earnings for the past year rake up a staggering $110 million; likely due to his monster Beats by Dre headphones.

Music veterans U2 and Elton John show the young’uns how it’s done, helping to make up the top five earning $78 million and $80 million respectively, with the youngest earners Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber coming in at numbers eight and ten, bringing in a cool $57 million and $55 million each.

In the Carter household, Jay-Z plays second fiddle to his wife as he earns $38 million with Beyonce beating him by bringing home $40 million for her efforts. Other high earners in the top 25 include Rihanna, P Diddy, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Kanye West. You can check out the full list of musical millionaires below.

1. Dr Dre – $110 Million
2. Roger Waters – $88 Million
3. Elton John – $80 Million
4. U2 – $78 Million
5. Take That – $69 Million
6. Bon Jovi – $60 Million
7. Britney Spears – $58 Million
8. Paul McCartney – $57 Million (tie)
8. Taylor Swift – $57 Million (tie)
10. Justin Bieber – $55 Million (tie)
10. Toby Keith – $55 Million (tie)
12. Rihanna – $53 Million
13. Lady GaGa – $52 Million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 Million
15. Diddy – $45 Million (tie)
15. Katy Perry – $45 Million (tie)
17. Kenny Chesney – $44 Million
18. Beyoncé – $40 Million
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 Million
20. Jay-Z – $38 Million
21. Coldplay – $37 Million
22. Adele – $35 Million (tie)
22. Kanye West – $35 Million (tie)
24. Michael Bublé – $34 Million
25. Sade – $33 Million