Reuters
Oct 31 2002 7:27PM
LONDON (Reuters) - Madonna top of pops in UK music pay scales.Pop diva Madonna is top of the pops when it comes to
Britain's biggest music earners, according to a teaser of the latest Sunday
Times Pay List, which ranks the 500 highest-paid people in the country.
The newspaper's third annual list, which will be fully revealed in the
newspaper's forthcoming edition, estimated that the Material Girl beat rockers
Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Mick Jagger to lead the list of music earners.
Michigan-born Madonna, who raked in more than $56 million in the year to
September 30, 2002, qualified for the second annual list after she became a
British resident.
Nearly an estimated half of Madonna's earnings -- about $24 million -- came
from the deal she signed with Microsoft Corp to use her "Ray of Light" song to
launch Windows XP.
The annual take-home pay of the only woman in music's top 10 jumped $9 million
to put her in 15th place in the overall list of 500, down four places from a
year ago.
In second place on the list of top music earners was McCartney, who earned $51
million, well ahead of Jagger, who generated $36 million.
In a music top 10 otherwise dominated by other old stagers such as Keith
Richards, Sting, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Charlie Watts and Pete Townsend,
the youthful Robbie Williams's earnings of $15 million saw him enter at number
nine.
Williams's recent $120 million deal with music giant EMI -- signed just after
the Pay List's cut off period -- should see him challenge Madonna for music's
top spot next year.
The pop music industry was also represented by Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell,
who would appear to have unearthed a gold mine in wannabe television programs
such as "Pop Idol" and "American Idol."
Fuller, who created both programs, reaped $45 million last year, placing him at
19 in the top 500, while reviled "Pop Idol" judge Cowell also cashed in -- his
earnings of $4.5 million put him at 239.
By comparison Will Young, who won Britain's "Pop Idol" televised contest, looks
a relative pauper. The $750,000 he earned last year was $1.5 million short of
the top 500's cut-off point.
Reuters/Variety