U2, Coldplay top Forbes list of highest-paid musicians

By
Reuters
Irish rock band U2 (L) topped the 2018 Forbes magazine. British band Coldplay (R) finished second on the Forbes list with $115.5 million. Photo: Reuters
 

LOS ANGELES: Irish rock band U2 topped the 2018 Forbes magazine list of the highest-paid musicians on Tuesday thanks in part to the group’s successful Joshua Tree world tour celebrating their classic 1987 album.

That tour helped the band collect $118 million in pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017, to June 1, 2018, the magazine said. The performances featured well-known hits from The Joshua Tree album including Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.

The band’s earnings also included revenue from a new tour, Experience + Innocence.

British band Coldplay finished second on the Forbes list with $115.5 million, mostly from its A Head Full Of Dreams tour.

Billions of streams helped 27-year-old British singer Ed Sheeran finish third with $110 million. He was followed by Bruno Mars with $100 million and Katy Perry with $83 million.