Posted on 12/11/2014 2:52:29 PM PST by a fool in paradise
Fifteen years ago Dr. Dre wondered aloud whether people had forgotten about him. If there was a question then, it has certainly dissipated throughout the next steps of a career filled with highlights—most recently the sale of Beats, the company he cofounded, to Apple for $3 billion.
Dr. Dre took home $620 million this year before taxes, thanks largely to that deal, making him the world’s top-earning musician of 2014. More remarkably, that number also marks the largest single-year haul of any musician, ever.
“It’s safe to say headphones is a good business,” said DJ Khaled, one of hip-hop’s top earners.
Dr. Dre’s payday gives him the widest margin in history between the first and second spots on our top-earning musicians list—half a billion dollars separate him from the No. 2 earner, Beyoncé, who pulled in $115 million. Her most lucrative year yet comes courtesy of her Mrs. Carter Show tour, a surprise album and endorsements with the likes of Pepsi and H&M .
Only one other act reached the nine-figure mark: The Eagles, who earned $100 million on the strength of their History Of The Eagles tour. Bon Jovi ranks fourth with $82 million and Bruce Springsteen rounds out the top five with $81 million; both Jersey-born rockers grossed millions per night on successful arena tours...
...Earnings were calculated from June 2013 to June 2014 and based on data from Pollstar, the RIAA and Nielsen, and on interviews with managers, lawyers, executives and some artists themselves...
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
All he did was put his name on some cheap Chinese earphones and he made a bundle, weird
The music biz is about celebrity these days, not music.
Hey i like Dr. Dre so whatever...
Who is Dr Dre? Some knuckle dragging rapper?
Yep. Was out on a hunt two weeks ago in VA— deer, and pulled into a country store way out in the woods. Got road snacks, and was leaving when across the parking lot a beat-up 89 chevy p/up with two camo’ed young “hunters” drove up scratching gravel with boom box auto sound blasting.... this
utter crap. Boom chucka lucka, Boom chucka lucka, with lyrics like “gonna put my ... in yo’.....or a cap in yo’ a@@... muthaf...... Absolutely senseless, violent crap. Did I mention they were white “country” boys. Checked with the sheriff and there is a meth connection to the urban gangs and a cross/dealing connex to the bloods and crips. Holy crap!
We go our bucks, got em processed and got the hell out of there. Not our usual range area. But big bucks— all male LOL.
I’ve never heard of “Dr. Dre”.
Stupid “Beats” headphones that every punk and hipster has to buy is driving that.
“The Eagles, who earned $100 million on the strength of their History Of The Eagles tour.”
Paging Don Felder, Don Felder, please pick up the courtesy phone...
I kno how Eazy-E died.
Collapsed lungs.
Too much basing.
HIV positive, yeah, but hardly the cause of his death.
My view is the guy is a capitalist success. God bless America.
Well, there was that. Still he was good on the chronic as well. Doggystyle, eh....
Now Apple owns Beats so the entire maccult can join the hip crowd.
Gross? Who cares? Their tax advisor is Al Sharpton.
I’ve bought one Eagles CD (”Hotel California”) and have one song done by JZ (”Empire State of Mind”) which I ripped from a CD I borrowed from my town’s library.Other than the Eagles nobody on the list has ever seen a nickel of my money (McCartney doesn’t count as a solo artist).
Funny story... And the Crips- and the nominally redneck meth boys liking hip=hop music. Rap whatever that crap is called today
In regards to money, no, but that list looks pretty lean in regards to actual talent.
The talent is in the clubs and elsewhere. The “other” music business.
This is pop SHOWBIZ.
I really done care, per se. I am curious because I think people would be surprised how much he pays in taxes and how many jobs he creates.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.