Genesis and Sting earned the top two spots in Forbes‘ list of 2022’s highest-paid entertainers.
The two rock acts each earned $230 and $210 million respectively. That’s $35 million more than Tyler Perry, the next highest-ranking star from the combined worlds of movies, television and music.
Music catalog sales were the primary source of income for each artist. Genesis sold the rights to their solo and group output (excluding songs written by Peter Gabriel) to Concord Music Group for $300 million in September, while Sting sold both his solo and Police-era catalog rights for the same reported amount to Universal Music Group in February.
Genesis also boosted their income with the last 14 shows of their highly lucrative farewell tour in 2022, while Sting took his My Songs tour to over 114 cites across the world.
The Rolling Stones were the only other rock artist to earn a spot on the Top 10, raking in $98 million largely on the strength of their 60th anniversary tour of Europe. It is estimated that the group grossed an average of $8.5 million per show on the 14-date trek.
According to Forbes, the figures below represent 2022 pretax earnings, minus fees for representation—managers, lawyers, agents—and/or business operating costs. Pop stars Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny also made the list, alongside film and television actors and creators such as Brad Pitt, South Park‘s Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avatar director James Cameron.
2022’s Highest-Paid Entertainers
1. Genesis – $230 million
2. Sting – $210 million
3. Tyler Perry – $175 million
4. Trey Parker and Matt Stone – $160 million
5. James L. Brooks and Matt Groening – $105 million
6. Brad Pitt – $100 million
7. Rolling Stones – $98 million
8. James Cameron – $95 million
9. Taylor Swift – $92 million
10. Bad Bunny – $88 million
Genesis Solo Albums Ranked
Projects recorded apart from one another allowed members of Genesis to explore areas of their songcraft that might have gone forever undiscovered.