The Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30
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Fame favors the young. If you doubt that, just take a look at the singers, movie stars and athletes on our annual list of the Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30. These guys haven’t gotten rich through decades of careful, prudent investing, like some of the top members of our Forbes 400. But they have sweated and spent a lot of sleepless nights honing and promoting their talents. That hard work helped these 20 young stars bring in a total of $667 million between May 2010 and May 2011.
The youngest star on our list is Justin Bieber. In his meteoric rise to fame, the 17-year-old crooner skipped the dues-paying drudgery of touring clubs and small venues that many artists go through to work their way up. Instead, at a time when most teens are worrying about who to invite to prom, he’s been touring the world and starring in a hit concert documentary. Bieber ranks second on our list with $53 million in earnings over the past 12 months. That money, plus his incredible fame, helped him debut in third place on our annual Celebrity 100 list, which measures wealth and fame.
Bieber is one of seven musicians who make our list. A world tour of arenas can be incredibly lucrative and almost all of our music stars had big tours this year. Lady Gaga, who ranks first on our list, grossed $170 million from 137 shows in 22 countries. Gaga is, of course, no slouch when it comes to music sales. Between May 2010 and May 2011 (before her latest album, Born This Way, dropped) she sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide. We estimate that over that time Gaga earned $90 million. She ranked first on our Celebrity 100 list this year because of her earnings power and her ability to always attract attention, whether she’s wearing a meat dress or arriving on stage in an egg.
Rihanna makes our list of the top earners under 30 in 10th place, although she just failed to make the cut for the Celebrity 100. The singer earned an estimated $29 million between May 2010 and May 2011 thanks to a tour, great album sales and endorsements with brands like Fuze Drinks and Venus Razors. She’s also becoming increasingly apt at attracting attention. Rihanna is the latest musician to kiss Brittney Spears at an awards show. The two locked lips at the recent Billboard Awards.
Half of our 20 top-earning young celebrities are athletes. In third place is LeBron James, who brought in $48 million over the 12-month period. James’ reputation may have taken a hit when he moved from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat, but it didn’t hurt his earning power. His jersey was the NBA’s top seller and he has the No. 1 basketball shoe on the market.
Tennis player Roger Federer ranks fourth with $47 million in earnings. He may no longer be No. 1 on the court, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic passing him in the ATP rankings, but he still commands the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports, with 10 major deals with the likes of Nike, Rolex and Wilson.
Representing Hollywood are Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who tie for 15th place with $20 million each. Their earning power should stay strong at least for the next year as the Twilight franchise winds down with two Breaking Dawn movies.
Quote:
1
Lady Gaga
25
$90 million
Sometimes it pays to be weird. The Queen Monster grossed $170 million on 137 shows in 22 countries over the past 12 months and has sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide. No surprise that advertisers want a piece: endorsement deals include Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable, Viva Glam and PlentyOfFish.com. A Russian billionaire reportedly paid $1 million to appear in her "Alejandro" video.
Quote:
2
Justin Bieber
17
$53 million
Though he may not know where Germany is, the cherubic crooner has attained international superstardom: his new album My Life 2.0 quickly attained platinum status, his concert movie Never Say Never grossed $100 million globally and Bieber's live shows around the world bring in $600,000 in gross ticket sales per night. The music video for Bieber's hit song "Baby" has been viewed a YouTube record 500 million times.
Quote:
3
LeBron James
26
$48 million
James' reputation took a hit last summer when he announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat on a national televised special dubbed "The Decision." His negative Q score soared 77%. Despite the animosity, James continues to be a hot ticket. His jersey was the NBA's best seller this season and he has the No. 1 basketball shoe on the market. In April, James partnered with Fenway Sports Group to manage his business interests. As part of the deal James received a very small stake in the FSG-owned soccer club Liverpool.
Quote:
4
Roger Federer
29
$47 million
Arguably the greatest tennis player ever, the Federer era may be nearing its end. He has been passed by both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the rankings. Federer still commands the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports with 10 major deals including Nike, Credit Suisse, Rolex and Wilson. He was the only one of Gillette's original 3 "Champions" to have his deal renewed this year as the brand dropped Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry.
Quote:
5
Taylor Swift
21
$45 million
Whether you consider her music country, pop or both, there's no question that Swift is a moneymaking machine. Her new album Speak Now was certified triple-platinum barely a month after its October release. Touring brings gross ticket sales of some $750,000 per night. Just don't break her heart: scathing love ballad "Dear John" was rumored to be directed at former flame John Mayer.
Quote:
6
Katy Perry
26
$44 million
The "I Kissed a Girl" singer married actor Russell Brand in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India in October. Perry's album Teenage Dream, released in August, boasted four chart-topping singles making it one of only nine albums to accomplish that feat in the Billboard Hot 100's 52-year history. No stranger to business, Perry shills for Proactiv, Adidas and Ubisoft, and has her own perfume line, Purr.
Quote:
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
26
$38 million
The Real Madrid star is using social media to expand his brand, which makes him more attractive to current sponsorship partners like Nike, Castrol, Clear Shampoo and Banco Espirito. Ronaldo has racked up 25 million Facebook fans, more than twice as many as any other athlete. He also has nearly 3 million Twitter followers.
Quote:
8
Lionel Messi
23
$32 million
Nicknamed "The Flea" for his diminutive stature, Messi is the world's best soccer player, having been voted player of the year the past two seasons. Messi earns $16 million annually on the pitch and he has recently built up his endorsement portfolio, which now includes Adidas, PepsiCo, Konami, Audemars Piguet, Chery and AirEuropa. Dolce & Gabbana struck a deal in October with the Barcelona forward.
Quote:
9
Rafael Nadal
25
$31 million
Nadal became the youngest player in the Open Era to capture the career Grand Slam when he won the U.S. Open in September, 2010 at age 24. Nadal's endorsement portfolio has begun to catch up with his on-court success. This year he started shilling for Bacardi and Giorgio Armani in addition to holdovers like Nike, Babolat and Kia Motor. He earned $10.5 million in prize money over the last 12 months.
Quote:
10
Rihanna
23
$29 million
Rihanna just missed making our Celebrity 100 List, which measures a mix of wealth and fame. But the singer is still a major earner, especially for someone so young. Rihanna's been churning out hits since 2005 when she released her first single "Pon de Replay " and she's showing no signs of slowing down. She's just set out on tour to promote her latest album, Loud.
Full list:The Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30 - Dorothy Pomerantz - Show Me The Money - Forbes
[URL="http://blogs-images.forbes.com/dorothypomerantz/files/2011/06/0609_lady-gaga_280x340-247x300.jpg"]
[/URL]Fame favors the young. If you doubt that, just take a look at the singers, movie stars and athletes on our annual list of the Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30. These guys haven’t gotten rich through decades of careful, prudent investing, like some of the top members of our Forbes 400. But they have sweated and spent a lot of sleepless nights honing and promoting their talents. That hard work helped these 20 young stars bring in a total of $667 million between May 2010 and May 2011.
The youngest star on our list is Justin Bieber. In his meteoric rise to fame, the 17-year-old crooner skipped the dues-paying drudgery of touring clubs and small venues that many artists go through to work their way up. Instead, at a time when most teens are worrying about who to invite to prom, he’s been touring the world and starring in a hit concert documentary. Bieber ranks second on our list with $53 million in earnings over the past 12 months. That money, plus his incredible fame, helped him debut in third place on our annual Celebrity 100 list, which measures wealth and fame.
Bieber is one of seven musicians who make our list. A world tour of arenas can be incredibly lucrative and almost all of our music stars had big tours this year. Lady Gaga, who ranks first on our list, grossed $170 million from 137 shows in 22 countries. Gaga is, of course, no slouch when it comes to music sales. Between May 2010 and May 2011 (before her latest album, Born This Way, dropped) she sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide. We estimate that over that time Gaga earned $90 million. She ranked first on our Celebrity 100 list this year because of her earnings power and her ability to always attract attention, whether she’s wearing a meat dress or arriving on stage in an egg.
Rihanna makes our list of the top earners under 30 in 10th place, although she just failed to make the cut for the Celebrity 100. The singer earned an estimated $29 million between May 2010 and May 2011 thanks to a tour, great album sales and endorsements with brands like Fuze Drinks and Venus Razors. She’s also becoming increasingly apt at attracting attention. Rihanna is the latest musician to kiss Brittney Spears at an awards show. The two locked lips at the recent Billboard Awards.
Half of our 20 top-earning young celebrities are athletes. In third place is LeBron James, who brought in $48 million over the 12-month period. James’ reputation may have taken a hit when he moved from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat, but it didn’t hurt his earning power. His jersey was the NBA’s top seller and he has the No. 1 basketball shoe on the market.
Tennis player Roger Federer ranks fourth with $47 million in earnings. He may no longer be No. 1 on the court, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic passing him in the ATP rankings, but he still commands the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports, with 10 major deals with the likes of Nike, Rolex and Wilson.
Representing Hollywood are Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who tie for 15th place with $20 million each. Their earning power should stay strong at least for the next year as the Twilight franchise winds down with two Breaking Dawn movies.
Quote:
1
Lady Gaga
25
$90 million
Sometimes it pays to be weird. The Queen Monster grossed $170 million on 137 shows in 22 countries over the past 12 months and has sold an estimated 15 million albums worldwide. No surprise that advertisers want a piece: endorsement deals include Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Monster Cable, Viva Glam and PlentyOfFish.com. A Russian billionaire reportedly paid $1 million to appear in her "Alejandro" video.
Quote:
2
Justin Bieber
17
$53 million
Though he may not know where Germany is, the cherubic crooner has attained international superstardom: his new album My Life 2.0 quickly attained platinum status, his concert movie Never Say Never grossed $100 million globally and Bieber's live shows around the world bring in $600,000 in gross ticket sales per night. The music video for Bieber's hit song "Baby" has been viewed a YouTube record 500 million times.
Quote:
3
LeBron James
26
$48 million
James' reputation took a hit last summer when he announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat on a national televised special dubbed "The Decision." His negative Q score soared 77%. Despite the animosity, James continues to be a hot ticket. His jersey was the NBA's best seller this season and he has the No. 1 basketball shoe on the market. In April, James partnered with Fenway Sports Group to manage his business interests. As part of the deal James received a very small stake in the FSG-owned soccer club Liverpool.
Quote:
4
Roger Federer
29
$47 million
Arguably the greatest tennis player ever, the Federer era may be nearing its end. He has been passed by both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the rankings. Federer still commands the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports with 10 major deals including Nike, Credit Suisse, Rolex and Wilson. He was the only one of Gillette's original 3 "Champions" to have his deal renewed this year as the brand dropped Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry.
Quote:
5
Taylor Swift
21
$45 million
Whether you consider her music country, pop or both, there's no question that Swift is a moneymaking machine. Her new album Speak Now was certified triple-platinum barely a month after its October release. Touring brings gross ticket sales of some $750,000 per night. Just don't break her heart: scathing love ballad "Dear John" was rumored to be directed at former flame John Mayer.
Quote:
6
Katy Perry
26
$44 million
The "I Kissed a Girl" singer married actor Russell Brand in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India in October. Perry's album Teenage Dream, released in August, boasted four chart-topping singles making it one of only nine albums to accomplish that feat in the Billboard Hot 100's 52-year history. No stranger to business, Perry shills for Proactiv, Adidas and Ubisoft, and has her own perfume line, Purr.
Quote:
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
26
$38 million
The Real Madrid star is using social media to expand his brand, which makes him more attractive to current sponsorship partners like Nike, Castrol, Clear Shampoo and Banco Espirito. Ronaldo has racked up 25 million Facebook fans, more than twice as many as any other athlete. He also has nearly 3 million Twitter followers.
Quote:
8
Lionel Messi
23
$32 million
Nicknamed "The Flea" for his diminutive stature, Messi is the world's best soccer player, having been voted player of the year the past two seasons. Messi earns $16 million annually on the pitch and he has recently built up his endorsement portfolio, which now includes Adidas, PepsiCo, Konami, Audemars Piguet, Chery and AirEuropa. Dolce & Gabbana struck a deal in October with the Barcelona forward.
Quote:
9
Rafael Nadal
25
$31 million
Nadal became the youngest player in the Open Era to capture the career Grand Slam when he won the U.S. Open in September, 2010 at age 24. Nadal's endorsement portfolio has begun to catch up with his on-court success. This year he started shilling for Bacardi and Giorgio Armani in addition to holdovers like Nike, Babolat and Kia Motor. He earned $10.5 million in prize money over the last 12 months.
Quote:
10
Rihanna
23
$29 million
Rihanna just missed making our Celebrity 100 List, which measures a mix of wealth and fame. But the singer is still a major earner, especially for someone so young. Rihanna's been churning out hits since 2005 when she released her first single "Pon de Replay " and she's showing no signs of slowing down. She's just set out on tour to promote her latest album, Loud.
Full list:The Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30 - Dorothy Pomerantz - Show Me The Money - Forbes