Some of the highest paid musicians

1. Diddy ($130 million)

Whether you call him Diddy, Puffy or Brother Love, Sean Combs tops our list thanks to his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, his Ciroc vodka deal and the sale of one-third of Sean John for an estimated $70 million.

2. Beyoncé ($105 million)

Queen Bey's Formation World Tour, which wrapped up in late 2016 and fell partly in our scoring period, grossed a quarter of a billion dollars. Since 2008, Beyoncé has earned more than $700 million. She and husband Jay-Z welcomed twins this summer.

3. Drake ($94 million)

The world’s most-streamed artist over the past 12 months, the Canadian superstar has been making the bulk of his bucks on the road during his Boy Meets World Tour. He also collects checks from Apple, Sprite and Nike.

4. The Weeknd ($92 million)

With 5.5 billion streams in the past two years and a gross of more than $1 million per stop on his latest tour, The Weekend has mastered the new music economy. "Artists don't really make the money off the music like we did in the Golden Age," he told FORBES. "It's not really coming in until you hit the stage."

 

5. Coldplay ($88 million)

The British pop-rockers embarked upon their Head Full of Dreams Tour this spring, playing arenas and stadiums around the globe at a gross north of $5 million per city, en route to the biggest payday of their career. All in all, the tour has grossed over half a billion dollars, the third most of all time.

 

Near Misses

Topping the $30 million earnings mark doesn’t guarantee placement on our list, even if you’re a superstar. Among the closest near misses: Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Katy Perry and Toby Keith.