Rock band Genesis topped Forbes' list of the world's 10 highest-paid entertainers, which also includes Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Sting and other big names in music.

The biggest earners hauled in a total of $1.35 billion in 2022 – half as much as what the top 10 earned in 2021, Forbed reported.

Leading the list was Genesis with estimated total earnings of $230 million. The so-called pioneers of progressive rock sold their music rights to Concord Music Group in September, which amounted to $300 million. The sale included publishing rights and selected recorded music income streams from the group, as well as solo income streams from Phil Collins and bandmates Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. The group earned their combined income from touring and music royalties.

Second on the list was Sting with total earnings of $210 million. The former The Police frontman and 17-time Grammy winner earned his million-dollar earnings by selling his entire musical catalog to Universal Music Group in February 2022.

Multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry was third on the list with combined earnings of $175 million, which he received through payments from films, TV shows and from his production backlot in Atlanta. This was the second time Perry entered the list. He was the only billionaire on the list with an estimated $1 billion fortune, Forbes said.

At No. 4 were "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who raked in a total of $160 million from a legacy HBO Max deal and from the comedy musical "Book of Mormon."

The other top earners of 2022 were "The Simpsons" creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening with a total of $105 million in earnings, Brad Pitt with $100 million in income, Rolling Stones with combined earnings of $98 million and "Avatar" director James Cameron, who received $95 million in 2022 as bonuses after his previous films "Titanic" and 2009's "Avatar" broke box office thresholds.

At No. 9 was Taylor Swift, who was also the only female artist in a male-dominated lineup. Swift earned $92 million in 2022 from physical record sales, streaming royalties and music licensing.

Swift became the first artist in history to claim the top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100 song list last year. In September, Ticketmaster crashed when 14 million Swift fans tried to buy tickets to the singer's "2023 Eras Tour," prompting a backlash against the site and an antitrust investigation by a senate panel.

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny was 10th on the list with a combined income of $88 million, which he earned through his tours and endorsements.

US singer Taylor Swift, shown here at the 2022 American Music Awards, is up for Best Song at this year's Grammys
AFP
Brad Pitt