U2, Coldplay top Forbes list of highest-paid musicians

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Irish rock band U2 topped the 2018 Forbes magazine list of the highest-paid musicians on Tuesday thanks in part to the group’s successful “Joshua Tree” world tour celebrating their classic 1987 album.

That tour helped the band collect $118 million in pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, the magazine said. The performances featured well-known hits from “The Joshua Tree” album including “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

The band’s earnings also included revenue from a new tour, “Experience + Innocence.”

British band Coldplay finished second on the Forbes list with $115.5 million, mostly from its “A Head Full Of Dreams” tour.

Billions of streams helped 27-year-old British singer Ed Sheeran finish third with $110 million. He was followed by Bruno Mars with $100 million and Katy Perry with $83 million.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chris Reese)