Around the world, millions of musicians struggle to make ends meet.

This story is not about them, but rather those who have climbed to the pinnacle of their profession, at least in financial terms.

I have my doubts that the music of Taylor Swift will be lauded by future generations in the same way as that of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but then again, we’ll all succumb to climate change at some point anyway.

Before we get to those massive numbers, let’s consider Forbes’ methodology, which takes into consideration income from touring, music and outside business ventures, and works on a June-to-June scoring basis.

The figures are pre-tax and pre-agent and manager fees, but I don’t suspect anybody is going hungry.

So, who raked in a cool $185 million (around R2,75 billion) in 2019? Yeah, it was Taylor Swift. Here’s Forbes:

The superstar songstress earned $185 million thanks to a new record deal, a bevy of endorsements and the tail end of her most recent tour, landing in the top spot on the Forbes list of Highest-Earning Musicians for the second time in five years.

Tragically, Kanye West is in second place, with $150 million in earnings, thanks largely to the sales of Yeezy sneakers. There is no justice in this world.

More on the rest of the top 10:

Two other acts entered nine-figure territory this year: British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran (No. 3, $110 million) and California rock band The Eagles (No. 4, $100 million), who both made the cut thanks to a heavy slate of gigs.

The No. 5 spot is claimed by another venerable rocker, Elton John, who collected $84 million in 2019 in the midst of his farewell tour. Jay-Z and Beyoncé are tied at No. 6 with $81 million apiece.

That means there is no seventh place, with eighth place going to Drake ($75 million), ninth to Diddy ($70 million) and 10th to Metallica ($68.5 million).

In total, the top 10 combined earned over $1 billion during the period in question, which is up from $886 million last year.

Perhaps that is some fuel to ensure you never give up on your dreams, struggling musos.

You can see the rest of the top 40 top-earning musicians here.

[source:forbes]