Top 10 Music Moneymakers Of The Decade

One of the more eye-opening stats about the recent and current music business is who made the most money during the 00's. Here's a list that combines concert ticket and CD sales. Yes, it will surprise you.

1. Celine Dion - $748 mill

2. Kenny Chesney - $742 mill

3, Dave Mathews Band - $738 mill

4. The Beatles - $627 mill (including Paul McCartney's and Ringo's ticket sales)

5. U2 - $610 mill

6. Toby Keith - $592 mill

7. Bruce Springsteen - $588 mill

8. The Rolling Stones - $570 mill

9. Tim McGraw - $551 mill

10. Britney Spears - $495 mill

What this list tells us is that our assumptions regarding the type of music that is hot may be all wrong. Even though Rap and Hip Hop seemed to dominate the charts during the decade, no artists from that genre cracked the top 10. Only Eminem came in at #14 with $419 mill and he was the only hip hop artist in the top 20.

Who would've guessed that Celine Dion would've been number 1? Or that Kenny Chesney would be number 2? Or Dave Mathews and The Beatles numbers 3 and 4?

The list illustrates just how little radio reflects the buying tastes of the general public, but it also shows that mainstream music artists with major label connections still partake of the biggest piece of the financial pie. That being said, the list is also a reflection more on the era of Music 2.5 than Music 3.0. Let's see what the next 10 years bring.