Amplifier

Beyonce Is Now and Will Always Be Richer Than You

By | Amplifier – Tue, Dec 28, 2010 7:42 PM EST

Extra! compiled the data from a few of Forbes magazine's lists of 2010's top-earning entertainment players to make their own countdown of who in Hollywood raked in the most money in the past year. The list is led, unsurprisingly, by Oprah with a 12-month total of $315 million. Slightly more surprising is the rundown of musicians who made the Top 20, with their respective rankings and cash intake: Beyoncé (Nine, $87 million), Britney Spears (13, $64 million), Lady Gaga (14, $62 million), Madonna (15, $58 million), Miley Cyrus (18, $48 million), and Taylor Swift (19, $45 million). That's six women, all in their teens or twenties -- save for Madonna, who celebrated her Sweet 16 Plus 36 this past summer -- who record pop music.

Extra! evidently thinks rock bands and the Jigga Man aren't very "Hollywood," because according to the original Forbes list they borrowed their figures from, U2 pulled $130 million, AC/DC earned $114, and Jay-Z brought in $63 million. (U2 and AC/DC are not actually American, but Jay-Z was born in the Empire State, as he's reminded us repeatedly.)

[Photos: Beyonce and Miley sizzle in white hot ensembles]

So no rock stars slipped into the Extra! Top 20 (no big shocker), but no hip-hop stars made it, either -- note to 50 Cent, shoveling driveways at $100 a pop isn't gonna help. The closest the Frankenstein-ed list comes to naming a male music personality is Simon Cowell, who pulled in $80 million being hard on Andrew Garcia this past year.

So, what do all these rich lady singers Extra! has named rich and powerful have in common? Merchandising of course. Clothing lines, fragrances, makeup endorsements, etc. What, you thought people made money touring or selling albums?

See the original Forbes lists here:

Hollywood's Highest-Earning Women
The World's Most Powerful Celebrities 

[Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images]

Other popular stories on Yahoo!:
• Reese Witherspoon announces engagement to Hollywood agent
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• Photos: Travolta & Preston among couples who welcomed babies this year

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