Britney Spears shines in will.i.am’s new ‘Scream and Shout’ video.

Crazed fans who enjoy living vicariously through their favourite artists have a reason to celebrate today. The 2012 Forbes list of the World’s Highest-Paid Musicians has been announced and it entails shocking placements by some of the biggest stars in Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock and even R&B.

As noted on the 2012 Forbes Cash Kings lineup in September, Dr. Dre earned over $110 million during the last year and easily topped his peers as the top-earner of the year. Further down the list is Britney Spears, who outperformed all other female artists at #7 with $58 million, thanks primarily to her fragrance collection with Elizabeth Arden.

The biggest surprise on the Highest-Paid Musicians list is Sade at #25. The band’s 100-city tour helped them to garner over $33 million during the last twelve months. Yet, all artists pale in comparison to Michael Jackson, whose estate generated over $145 million in earnings. That’s right, the late King of Pop made more money in death than any other living artist this year.

See the full Highest-Paid Musicians list below:

1. Dr. Dre – $110 Million
2. Roger Waters – $88 Million
3. Elton John – $80 Million
4. U2 – $78 Million
5. Take That – $69 Million
6. Bon Jovi – $60 Million
7. Britney Spears – $58 Million
8. Paul McCartney – $57 Million
8. Taylor Swift – $57 Million
10. Justin Bieber – $55 Million
10. Toby Keith – $55 Million
12. Rihanna – $53 Million
13. Lady GaGa – $52 Million
14. Foo Fighters – $47 Million
15. Diddy – $45 Million
15. Katy Perry – $45 Million
17. Kenny Chesney – $44 Million
18. Beyonce – $40 Million
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39 Million
20. Jay-Z – $38 Million
21. Coldplay – $37 Million
22. Adele – $35 Million
22. Kanye West – $35 Million
24. Michael Buble – $34 Million
25. Sade – $33 Million

Info via Forbes!

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