17 most powerful musicians in the world
Madonna, Beyonce, Coldplay hit Forbes' celebrity list
It's that time of year again when prolific list makers Forbes magazine names the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world, loosely based on earnings and 'media exposure'.
Hollywood elitist Angelina Jolie took the top spot - but let's just concern ourselves with the 17 all-powerful music makers who made the cut…
1. Madonna (Forbes' #3)
2. Beyonce Knowles (#4)
3. Bruce Springsteen (#6)
4. Britney Spears (#13)
5. Coldplay (#15)
6. Bon Jovi (#21)
7. Kenny Chesney (#31)
8. Jay-Z (#32)
9. Sean (Diddy) Combs (#35)
10. Dave Matthews Band (#38)
11. Rascal Flatts (#42)
12. Kanye West (#46)
13. AC/DC (#47)
14. 50 Cent (#50)
15. Toby Keith (#59)
16. Taylor Swift (#69)
17. Carrie Underwood (#75)
World domination
No real surprises here. Coldplay are edging ever closer to world domination, though, and it's interesting to see who wears the trousers in the Beyonce/Jay-Z household!
Pop mogul Simon Cowell's 25th place deserves a mention, too, as do Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez who were among the movers and shakers to drop off 2008's list.
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Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).