Taylor Swift is pop music's top earner !

Country singer Taylor Swift, 22, was named Billboard Magazine's biggest money maker. Given her massive record sales and multiple sold-out tours, it’s no wonder Taylor Swift nabbed the #1 spot on Billboard’s “Music’s Top 40 Money Makers” list.

The “Should’ve Said No” songstress reportedly raked in a hefty salary of $35.7 million for the 2011 year with combined songwriting royalties, an $88.5 million-grossing Speak Now world tour, and her quadruple platinum album.

Billboard have released their Music’s Top 40 Money Makers list based on 2011′s earnings. And the biggest music earner of the past year is none other than country babe Taylor Swift, who made a whopping $35.7 million. Her financial success can largely be attributed to her smash hit album Speak Now and subsequent tour, which made $88.5 million in the US alone, $29.8 million of which went into Taylor’s pocket. Billboard also named Taylor Woman Of The Year in 2011 after she racked up 1.8 million album sales and 7.8 million digital single sales from Speak Now. Swift wrote 14 songs from the album, royalties from which contributing in no small way to her earning capacity.

U2

Bon Jovi

Billboard states that, “As the concert business rebounded in 2011, touring remained the biggest source of income for the top earners in the U.S. music business… But not all of the 40 artists on the Money Makers list relied heavily, if at all, on touring

Kenny Chesney

income.” Indeed, there seems to be little to no consistency in tours as related to earning capacity (some top earners toured, others didn’t), nor does there seem to be much of a correlation between chart success and earning, as Adele, who still dominates the charts, came in at number 10 (where we would have expected her at number one given her phenomenal, history making sales), and Katy Perry, who broke records with five number ones from the same album, came in at 14. 

Check out the top 10 music earners after the jump, and the full list at Billboard.com.

Music’s Top 10 Money Makers:

1. Taylor Swift: $35.7m

2. U2: $32.1m

3. Kenny Chesney: $29.8m

4. Lady Gaga: $25.4m

5. Lil Wayne: $23.2m

6. Sade $16.4m

7. Bon Jovi: $15.8m

8. Celine Dion: $14.3m

9. Jason Aldean: $13.4m

10. Adele: $13.1m

11. Glee cast: $12.6m

12. Journey: $12.3m

13. Elton John: $11.97m

14. Katy Perry: $11.96m

15. Toby Keith: $10.4m

16. Britney Spears: $10.1m

17. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band: $10m

18. Rascal Flatts: $9.6m

19. Tim McGraw: $9.3m

20. Michael Buble: $9m

21. Brad Paisley: $8.6m

22. Rihanna: $7.7m

23. Enrique Iglesias: $7.5m

24. The Beatles: $6.74m

25. Sir Paul McCartney: $6.72m

26. Lady Antebellum: $6.67m

27. Keith Urban: $6.57m

28. Zac Brown Band: $6.5m

29. Rod Stewart: $6.4m

30. Usher: $6.3m

31. Foo Fighters: $6m

32. Rush: $5.8m

33. Backstreet Boys: $5.7m

34. Sugarland: $5.6m

35. Justin Bieber: $5.5m

36. New Kids on the Block: $5.5m

37. Steely Dan: $5.38m

38. Motley Crue: $5.37m

39. Kanye West: $5.36m

40. Linkin Park: $5.2m

Celine Dion 

Lady Gaga

Jason Aldean

Sade

Adele