Katy Perry is 2015's highest paid woman in music at $135 million, Forbes says - Los Angeles Times
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Katy Perry is 2015’s highest paid woman in music at $135 million, Forbes says

Katy Perry released her new single "Rise," which will be used for NBC Olympic game programming.
(Jeffrey Arguedas / EPA)
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Katy Perry is roaring loudly on top of Forbes’ 2015 list of the highest earning women in music.

Thanks to her Prismatic World Tour and deals with Coty, Claire’s and CoverGirl, the “Roar” songstress, 31, earned an estimated $135 million from June 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015, to clinch the No. 1 spot, the financial magazine said.

Perry’s tour, which concluded its run last month, is said to have grossed more than $2 million in each city. Multiply that by 126 shows during Forbes’ scoring period and that adds up to a whole lot of moolah.

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Landing in the No. 2 position is the quirky pop vixen’s purported “frenemy,” Taylor Swift, who reportedly wrote her chart-topper “Bad Blood” about the beef between them. The “Shake It Off” singer, 25, earned an estimated $80 million following the launch of her widely successful pop album “1989” in October 2014. The album sold more than 3.6 million copies and has churned out hit after hit, including “Style” and “Wildest Dreams.”

But much of Swift’s revenue came from her massive world tour that saw a celebrity guest (or two or three) grace the stage with her on any given night. The tour kicked off in Tokyo last May and will wind down in Melbourne in December.

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The iconic band Fleetwood Mac, with Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, whose return this year made the group eligible for the list despite having three male members, hit the road with its On With the Show tour and earned an estimated $59.5 million, clinching the No. 3 spot on the list, Forbes said.

Mother Monster and “American Horror Story: Hotel” star Lady Gaga landed in the No. 4 spot with $59 million comprised of her 66 shows during the scoring period and deals with fashion house Versace, Mac cosmetics and profits from her Fame fragrance.

“Drunk in Love” diva Beyonce rounded out the top five with $54.5 million, courtesy of her On the Run Tour with hubby Jay Z. That tour grossed over $100 million during 19 show show dates in North America.

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The A-listers nearly topped the magazine’s list of highest-paid celebrity couples for the second time last June, garnering an estimated $110.5 million. In the No. 1 spot were Swift and her DJ beau Calvin Harris, who earned an estimated $146 million.

Forbes put together a photo gallery of the top women earners in music.

Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.

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