Forbes Top Earning American Idols 2011

By On 07/21/2011 · 239 Comments · In American Idol

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arrives at Fox's "American Idol" season 10 finale results show held at Nokia Theatre LA Live on May 25, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Oh Goodie. Forbes magazine has updated their Top Earning American Idols list. Here’s the latest:

1. Carrie Underwood – 20 million
2. (tie) Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry – 6 million
4. Fantasia Barrino – 4 million
5. Jordin Sparks – 3 million
6. Kelly Clarkson – 2.5 million
7. Jennifer Hudson – 2 million
8. Kellie Pickler – 1.8 million
9. Clay Aiken – 1.5 million
10. (tie) Katharine McPhee, David Archuleta, David Cook – 1 million

Recent contestants Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox and Ruben Studdard narrowly missed the list this year.

The top ten money-making Idol alums combined to earn $50 million over the past year alone.

These numbers are based on estimated pretax income earned from May 2010 to May 2011, before subtracting agent and manager fees. The totals were compiled with the help of data from Pollstar, RIAA and others, as well as extensive interviews with industry insiders including managers, concert promoters, publicists, agents and, in some cases, the musicians themselves.

Play nice.

 
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  • Desdemona

    GAH! I’d hate to have been around here during Season 8. Looks like the post about talking about somebody else fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. LOL

  • owanbe

    GAH! I’d hate to have been around here during Season 8. Looks like the post about talking about somebody else fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. LOL

    I would want to believe everybody’s interests/likes are kind of different, hence some post comments on who they find most interesting among the idols, while others ignore such idols and go for their preferences. It is just a free-will kind of thing in my opinion.

  • Mary102

    Totally late reply, here – but congrats, Adam! That’s amazing that just a little while off idol he made that much! He totally deserves it all too!

  • tomr

    He probably spends most of it on makeup.

  • lisaMW

    ok late to the party but wanted to say good for those on the top, do not have time to go over all comments but see puzzlement as to the numbers but keep in mind that carrie did commercials this is where her money comes from. Adam is very very popular overseas and in some countries had 6 singles from FYE chart in the top 40, his album is double platinum in some countries and he sold a ton of singles in these same countries. Also, his music was used in a lot of commercials internationally and this is quite lucrative. The tour dig great AND Adam sells a ton of merchandise, which carries very high margins. He also did quite a few festivals and fairs which pay well, it adds up!!

  • Kirkee

    He probably spends most of it on makeup.

    Wow how clever.

  • Moria Polonius

    Kirkee says:
    07/22/2011 at 8:39 pm

    He probably spends most of it on makeup.

    Wow how clever.

    Nah, how can it be clever when everybody knows he spends everything on boots.

  • LeHommeAdam

    Congrats Adam! :)

  • TLKC

    Read through the thread and find the whole thing interesting. I guess Kelly wasn’t on tour this year? A lot depends on whether an Idol is having an active/fallow year.

    I thought Jennifer would be higher.

    RE: Adam – no one mentioned VEVO. His official videos have over 50 million hits combined. At $7 per thousand, that’s a minimum of $350,000 before royalties & managment fees.

    Not surprised at Carrie’s comments about the tendency to over-estimate people’s earnings. Not such a great list to be on if the IRS makes a little light reading of Forbes before auditing high profile tax returns.

  • Axxxel

    Wow, congrats Adam …. All that touring paid off…and will cover the expenses of the calm year May 2011 – May 2012… Unless the 2nd album will come out in the end of 2011 and Adam starts touring again in 2012…

  • Axxxel

    In Singapore last year, both Daughtry and Adam Lambert were starring at the Singapore F1 GP… So they were not allowed to sell their merchandise… Oh well, I guess I just go to the mall nearby my place and buy the glamnation tour DVD…

  • YeahRight

    Maybe if you had read the entire thread you’d have a better idea.

    Well, I couldn’t stomach certain things. Like I said, I did so much eye rolling.

    Why is everyone (except for one I saw in the first couple of pages) ignoring the fact that Carrie said the Forbes list is highly exaggerated? Not to burst anyone’s bubbles but Carrie herself said it…

    This. Sarah Jessica Parker recently popped up on one of these Forbes lists and people were congratulating her about it. She said not to congratulate her because it’s not true.

    GAH! I’d hate to have been around here during Season 8. Looks like the post about talking about somebody else fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. LOL

    This.

  • TLKC

    While I wasn’t posting during season 8 (I was an Idol newbie) I don’t remember it being all that bad. One of the reasons I finally signed on to MJ’s, as opposed to just lurking, is that it was the most civil.

    All credit to MJ for policing it so well. (Another blog, which shall remain nameless, got so bad that the blogger himself used to join the brawl. I left pretty quickly.)

    All-in-all, this thread looks pretty interesting, even if it is occasionally prickly!

  • John Henry

    tour is what pays the most.

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