Richest Country Singers

A good number of American country singers are among the richest artists in the world today, earning millions of dollars in album, merchandise and concert ticket sales.

There are some newbies that have made the list and others who have consistently been included in the Forbes list of country music’s top-earners year after year.

Top 5 Richest Country Singers

1. Kenny Chesney – Topping the list is Kenny Chesney who has been consistently making the list in the last couple of years. His earnings in the year 2008 to 2009 amounted to a whopping 65 million dollars.

His tours in the year 2009 grossed 71 million dollars which approximated to an earning of at least over six and one-half million dollars per night.

2. Toby Keith – Coming in at a close second is Toby Keith who, like his closest rival Chesney, has also made the list of country music’s top-earners for several years already.

His earnings for 2008 to 2009 were roughly around 52 million dollars from concert ticket sales, private shows for companies, his own restaurant chain as well as royalties.

He is also a stakeholder at Big Machine Records.

3. Taylor Swift/Rascall Flatts Tie – This country lass has invaded the country music scene with her true-to-life compositions, talking about her experiences in love and life. Her songs have enjoyed the most number of air times on the radio.

From her shows alone, she has already earned a net income of 30 million dollars. Her estimated earnings for 2008 to 2009 are around eighteen million dollars; with a total estimated net income of 45 million dollars.

The Rascal Flatts also have an estimated net income of 45 million dollars which ties them in third place with Taylor Swift. They mostly earn through their road shows and royalties.

4. Tim McGraw – Fourth on the list is Tim McGraw who has a total estimated earnings of about 30 million dollars. He earned roughly 23 million dollars for 2008 to 2009. Back in the early 2000s, he enjoyed the most number of air times on the radio.

Incidentally, Tim McGraw has ventured into acting, debuting in The Blind Side, the Sandra Bullock real-life-turned-movie drama.

5. Keith Urban – Capping the Top 5 list is Keith Urban who earned an estimated 8 million dollars for 2008 to 2009. His total estimated earnings so far amount to about 28 million dollars.

Urban mostly gets his earnings from shows and album sales. Incidentally, his album tour for Defying Gravity earned him at least 700,000 dollars per show, per night.