The 'Play It Again' singer beats out the likes of Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney in Forbes' list of top paid country music star.
- Aug 15, 2018
AceShowbiz - Luke Bryan is officially the highest-paid country singer of the year. Forbes released its annual list of highest-paid country music star on Tuesday, August 14, revealing that the "Play It Again" singer topped the chart by earning an astounding $52 million over the last twelve months.
The 42-year-old musician made that much money from his successful worldwide headlining tour, "What Makes You Country Tour", that he grossed seven figures a night. He also enjoyed other earnings from his first year serving as a judge on "American Idol" reboot and an endorsement deal with Chevrolet.
The magazine noted that Bryan could very well top the list for the years to come as he recently opened his own bar in Nashville. "Twenty years ago, if you'd told me I would have a bar in downtown Nashville, I would have said, 'Yeah, right,' " he previously said of his business.
He continued, "It's crazy. But it's cool for fans. They can go have a drink at my place, see memorabilia from the FGL [Florida Georgia Line] guys, hang at Blake's [Blake Shelton] bar. Nashville is booming as a city, and it's fun to see the changes happening."
Back to the Forbes list, Garth Brooks unfortunately had to move down to second place after racking up approximately $45 million. Both Bryan and Brooks beat out Kenny Chesney, who came in third place with $37 million thanks to his on-going "Trip Around the Sun Tour" as well as his own Blue Chair Rum and an endorsement deal with Corona.
Rounding out the top five were Zac Brown Band and Shelton. While the group placed fourth with $31 million, "The Voice" judge ranked fifth with $28 million. Meanwhile, Dolly Parton was the only woman who made it to the list this year, coming in tenth place with $19 million.
According to Forbes, the ten country musicians who made it to the list earned a total $304 million. The number has decreased from last year.
