If there's one thing aspiring musicians can learn from Taylor Swift, Billboard's Money Maker of the Year, it's to write your own songs.

The 22-year-old singer songwriter was crowned the top Money Maker of the year by the magazine's annual list, taking in more than $35.7 million in 2011.

The list was compiled from numbers related to concert grosses in the US, Nielsen SoundScan for album sales (physical, digital, digital tracks, ringtones), radio airplay, online streaming through programs like Spotify, video plays on YouTube and others.

Swift, who wrote all 14 tracks on Speak Now, sold more than 1.8 million units of the album. (Do the math).

According to Billboard, the country superstar's songwriting royalties, album sales and her high-grossing Speak Now world tour put Swift some $3 million ahead of second place Money Makers, U2.

The Money Makers list of 40 also includes Grammy winner Adele (#10), The Beatles (#24) and last year's top spot holder Lady Gaga, who drops to #4 this year.

Boy bands old (New Kids on the Block) and not-so-old (Backstreet Boys) came in at #36 and #33, respectively, while the Glee cast just missed the top 10 with $12.5 million in earnings last year.

Click through for Taylor Swift and Billboard's top 5 Money Makers of the Year.

For the complete list, visit Billboard.com.

1. Taylor Swift 35,719,902
What do you get when you write 14 tracks about heartbreak and go on tour? 1.8 million album sales and $29.8 million in tour earnings for “Speak Now,” Taylor Swift’s third studio album and tour of the same name. REUTERS
2. U2 32,116,315
When you’re the biggest band in the world, with one of the longest world tours (two years), not a lot can go wrong, especially when it comes to money. U2’s 360 tour wrapped in July 2011 after seven legs and ticket sales soaring past the $700 million mark. According to Billboard, U2 also sold $50 million worth of merchandise, a figure that was not tallied in the Money Makers list. REUTERS
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4. Lady Gaga 25,353,039
While “Born This Way” sold more than 1 million units during its first week, Lady Gaga’s second studio album still has miles to go, thanks to a world tour set to begin this April in Seoul, South Korea. In 2011, Mother Monster wrapped her Monster Ball tour, earning some $51.4 million in ticket sales. Paws (and dollar signs) up! REUTERS
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Billboard Lady Gaga Billboard Lady Gaga