Taylor Swift Tops Billboard's List Of 2011 Money Makers; Adele, U2 Round Out Top 10
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Taylor Swift is No. 1 again: The singer is the top act on Billboard's "Money Makers" list.
Swift earned more than $35 million in 2011, according to the Billboard list released Friday. U2 was second with $32 million. Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne rounded out the top 5.
Photos: Taylor Swift At MSG | The 54th Annual Grammy Awards
Artists' rankings were based on U.S. income sources from tours, albums sales and publishing royalties. Billboard said in a press release that it didn't factor in "sponsorships, merchandise sales or synchronization deals."
Adele was tenth on the list. Though she cancelled most of her U.S. tour due to issues with her vocal cords, her album "21" sold more than 5 million units in 2011. Including sales from this year, "21" has sold nearly 8 million copies.
Meanwhile, Swift has been busy making headlines in our area.
The country star asked a fan, Kevin McGuire of Somerdale, N.J., to the Academy of Country Music awards.McGuire is 18 and has leukemia. His sister had started a campaign on Facebook to get Swift to go with him to his prom.
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