Madonna was the highest earning musician of 2008, thanks to the success of her “Sticky and Sweet” tour.

The pop star took in $242,176,466 US last year to top Billboard’s annual Money Makers list.

The magazine ranked musicians based on their revenue, which included not just album and single sales but also tour revenue.

It was for that reason that Madonna nabbed the No. 1 spot despite her album “Hard Candy” ranking as the 50th-best-selling album in the U.S. About 95 per cent of her revenue came from her 2008 tour dates.

The 50-year-old singer recently announced an additional 25 dates this summer in the U.K. and other parts of Europe.

Bon Jovi came in second on Billboard’s list with $157,177,755 US, while Bruce Springsteen took the No. 3 spot with $156,327,964 US.

Rounding out the top 10 were The Police, Celine Dion, Kenny Chesney, Neil Diamond, Rascall Flatts, Jonas Brothers and Coldplay.






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