Katy Perry Is 2015’s Top-Earning Female Musician

Good news, ladies. Women in music are making some serious bank. Last year's Forbes ranking of the top-earning female performers saw Beyoncé commanding the top spot for pulling in $115 million. Taylor Swift came second with an impressive $64 million paycheck, her highest ever at the time. Those are some big numbers, but they pale in comparison to this year's list. The 2015 ranking sees Katy Perry raking in $135 million in earnings, a huge jump from her fifth-place finish at $40 million last year. Perry was also the third-highest paid celebrity of the year, one of just two women in the top 10. That other woman is Taylor Swift, who pulled in $80 million. Much will be made of her coming in second to Perry, but it's worth noting that her full earnings from the ongoing 1989 World Tour have yet to be tallied. Fleetwood Mac, which, of course, has three men in it in addition to Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, reaped the rewards of its reunion tour. The band placed third among the top-earning women in music at $59.5 million, followed by Lady Gaga at fourth with $59 million. Beyoncé rounded out the top five with $54.5 million, less than half of last year's windfall. Overall, however, the news is good. Britney Spears, Miranda Lambert, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez also saw huge numbers, and One Direction and Garth Brooks were the only male musicians to pull in more than Swift on the world's highest-paid celebrities list. These figures are also much stronger than those in years past. Way to bring home that bacon, gals.