Earlier in July, Billboard released its list of the top 40 highest-paid musicians in the U.S. The list is released annually, and the latest one reflects artists’ earnings from 2020.
The list features artists of all genres, including country. Some fan-favorite country singers ranked pretty high this time around!
Taylor Swift ranked at the overall #1 spot on the list with $23.2 million in earnings. While Swift was formerly a country singer, she has been considered a pop artist for some time now. However, she did release a song, “betty,” to country radio in 2020, so she did at least dip her toes in the genre last year.
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With Swift excluded, the highest-paid country artist of 2020 was Luke Combs.
Combs earned $9.2 million in 2020. Most of those earnings came from streaming ($5.5 million) while the other earnings came from sales, publishing, and touring.
On the overall list of highest-paid musicians of 2020, Combs ranked in 16th place.
Following Combs, the second highest-paid country singer of 2020 was none other than “The King of Country,” George Strait. Strait ranked at the 26th overall spot on the list with his total earnings of $6.9 million.
Unlike many of the other artists on the list, Strait’s biggest earnings came from touring. He was able to have five concerts early in the year before everything came to a halt, and earned $4.2 million from those shows.
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After Strait, the third highest-paid country singer of 2020 was Blake Shelton. He ranked at the 28th spot on the overall list with earnings of $6.7 million.
Like Strait, Shelton was able to perform a few shows in 2020. His 12 concerts resulted in him earning $3.9 million.
Combs, Strait, and Shelton were the only country artists who made the list. But it’s obvious why they did…they all put on great shows and release great music, and the fans love to support them!