What Women Make The Most Money In The Music World?

01/30/08 6:30pm

Madonna is the top earning woman in music, but Canadians Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado are in the top 20, according to Forbes magazine.

The financial publication's first annual "Cash Queens Of Music" list used concert grosses, merchandising and album sales, and revenue from ancillary businesses such as clothing lines, fragrance deals, and endorsements to come up with their figures. It only included so-called "active" artists, who released albums or films or toured between June 2006 and June 2007.

Britney Spears made the cut, so Forbes' definition of "active" must also include having a meltdown as an unpublished criterion for inclusion, since the mother of the year didn't release a record or tour during that time period. Conversely, Yoko Ono released two albums within Forbes' time frame last year. And while she wouldn't have made much off those, the money that continues to roll in from John Lennon's Beatles and solo record sales, merchandise and publishing royalties surely would have been enough to put her in the top 20.

Anyway, here are the "Cash Queens Of Music." Read 'em and weep:

Madonna $72 million
Barbra Streisand $60 million
Celine Dion $45 million
Shakira $38 million
Beyonce $27 million
Gwen Stefani $26 million
Christina Aguilera $20 million
Faith Hill $19 million
The Dixie Chicks $18 million
Mariah Carey $13 million
Hilary Duff $12 million
Avril Lavigne $12 million
Martina McBride $12 million
Britney Spears $8 million
Nelly Furtado $7 million
Carrie Underwood $7 million
Fergie $6 million
Jennifer Lopez $6 million
Sheryl Crow $6 million
Norah Jones $5.5 million