Top Grammy Earners 2012: Paul McCartney Tops the List

The 54th Grammy Awards came to an end with some bitter-sweet moments on February 12, 2012.

Though the death of Whitney Houston cast a pall of gloom over the ceremony, the electrifying performances by celebrity singers lifted the mood of the night. 

British singer Adele came back to the stage after her throat surgery with a memorable winning of six Grammy Awards. She had won all the categories she had been nominated for.

However, winning big at the Grammys has not made her the top artist in terms of annual earnings.

Forbes has calculated the earnings with all pretax income from May 2010 to May 2011, before subtracting agent and manager fees.

Take a look at the Forbes list of top Grammy-earners of 2012:

Paul McCartney has total earnings of $130 million over 30 shows in the past year.

Taylor Swift has total earnings of $45 million for the past year. Her new album “Speak Now,” has certified triple- platinum just a month after its release in October 2011.
Swift has won her Grammys for “Mean,” in the country song category and for the best country song solo performance. Her Grammy victory is sure to steer up the sales in the coming days and shoot up her earnings.

Jay-Z is in the third position in the list top Grammy earners with $37 million. He has won the Grammy’s for best Rap Performance for “Otis,” along with Kayne West.

Rihanna’s latest album “Loud,” world tours, singles and endorsements have made her earn $29 million.

Lady Antebellum, the country-pop band has conducted over 100 shows during the scoring period of the Forbes magazine. The band is placed at the fifth position with total earnings of $ 20 million.
Members of the band Lady Antebellum include Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood. They have won the Grammy for the best country album for "Own the Night" during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 12, 2012.

Adele has won six Grammys in 2012 by winning in all the categories she has nominated for. She is considered as the most successful artist since The Beatles with her second album 21, selling over 3 million copies in the UK itself.

Adele is in the sixth position with earnings of $18 million.

Kayne West has won the Grammy for best Rap Album " My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy".

West is placed at the seventh position with $16 million.

Singer Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas is in the eighth place with $15 million.