 In theater, a triple threat is an artist who has the chops to sing, dance and act. It's a different ballgame in the music biz, where touring and the two avenues of sales (physical and digital) reign supreme. In that regard, there's no artist more threat-ening than pop-country juggernaut Taylor Swift, who crushed it on nearly every level in the past year, and claims the top spot on Billboard's annual Money Makers rich list. Swift proved adept at capturing revenue from every angle this year, earning a whopping $39,699,575.60. Fueled by 2012's "Red," the singer's album sales were eighth among all of Billboard's Money Makers, while on the digital front she sold nearly 10 million downloads, ranking sixth, and fifth in streaming royalties -- tops in country music. But where Swift is most potent is on the road, performing in packed arena after packed arena. Revenue from six months of touring the United States on the Red Tour tops all fellow money makers with an estimated take of $30 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. The tour also boasted lucrative sponsorships (Keds, Elizabeth Arden, Diet Coke) and a ravaged merch table, which averaged $17 per head. Swift topped the rich list just two years ago, also on the strength of her touring prowess, raking in $35,719,902. Back on this year's tally, Swift's closest competition was another country superstar, Kenny Chesney, who made $32,956,240.70 on the strength of his seventh Billboard 200 chart-topper ("Life on a Rock") and his massive No Shoes Nation stadium tour. Justin Timberlake's whirlwind comeback in 2013, led by "The 20/20 Experience" albums and two tours -- first with Jay Z and later solo -- earned him $31,463,297.03 in the U.S. (Timberlake's Legends of the Summer tourmate ranks at No. 16 this year). Rock 'n' roll rounds out the top five, with a pair of road legends. Bon Jovi's Because We Can Tour was the top-grossing trek in 2013, according to Billboard's year-end tally, and is the prime reason they're fourth with $29,436,801.04. And if you thought The Rolling Stones were fading as a live act, you'd be dead wrong. Marking the band's 50th anniversary, the sold out 50 & Counting… dates pushed them up to No. 5 on the rich list, with $26,225,121.71. Beyonce, Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Pink and Fleetwood Mac complete this year's top ten. Deep in the list you'll find plenty of pop (Justin Bieber, One Direction), hip-hop (Kanye West, Jay Z), country (George Strait, Blake Shelton) and, notably, an appearance from New Kids on the Block, who enjoyed a well-attended tour, a top-ten album and a hit single. The data used to compile Money Makers was supplied by Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen BDS and Billboard Boxscore. Artists are ranked by U.S. earnings, calculated from touring, recorded- music sales, publishing royalties and revenue from digital music and video streaming. Due to a lack of data, revenue from sponsor- ship, merchandising and synchronization isn’t included. For the full methodology, click here. The Top 10
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