Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus during the 2008 American Music Awards in November. Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus ranked among Forbes’ new list of the top 12 highest-earning celebrities under 30. The powerful group, with an average age of 23, collectively pulled in $410 million between June 1, 2008 and June 1, 2009.
Cyrus, 16, banked $25 million to tie for No. 7 along with the Jonas Brothers, actor Daniel Radcliffe and model Gisele Bündchen. The magazine says that her bottom line was boosted by 4 million in album sales, $86 million in gross ticket sales, and her popular Disney Channel series/film Hannah Montana. She also lent her likeness to schoolgirl friendly products like backpacks and lunchboxes.
Swift, 19, came in 12th on the list with earnings of $18 million. As the top-selling U.S. artist of 2008, she sold over 4 million units, and banked through touring, and endorsements. The Internet savvy Swift also scored with a significant number of digital downloads, becoming the first country artist to sell 2 million downloads with three different songs.
Beyoncé Knowles, 27, was the highest paid on the list, raking in about $87 million, nearly double the $45 million earned by No. 2, Formula 1 racer Kimi Raikkonen. Knowles, a global brand, released a double album, starred in two films, endorsed numerous products like American Express and L’Oreal, and has her own clothing brand.
Rounding out the Top 5 are No. 3: NBA superstar LeBron James, 24, with $40 million; No. 4: Britney Spears, 27, $35 million; and No. 5: tennis great Roger Federer, 27, $33 million.
Category: Artist, Featured, Financial/Legal
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Sarah Skates has worked in the music business for more than a decade and is a longtime contributor to MusicRow.View Author Profile
