10 Highest-Paid Country Artists of 2019
Every year, Forbes publishes a list of the highest-paid acts in country music, and this year's top [...]
10. Jason Aldean, $23.5 million
Aldean released his album Rearview Town in April 2018 and has been on the road in support of the project almost constantly since. He also has a stake in his own Nashville bar, Jason Aldean's Kitchen + Rooftop Bar.
9. Garth Brooks, $24 million
Brooks began his The Garth Brooks Stadium Tour in March 2019, closing out the trek for the year on Nov. 16 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennesee.
8. Florida Georgia Line, $26 million
Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley spent much of the summer months on their Can't Say I Ain't Country Tour, which follows their 2019 album of the same name. They also have multiple brands including their Old Camp Whiskey as well as a Nashville bar, FGL House.
7. Shania Twain, $29 million
The Canadian star wrapped up her Now Tour in December 2018, which was the best-selling tour for a country female artist in 2018. Twain also found time that year to serve as a judge on USA's Real Country.
6. Eric Church, $30 million
Church had a (pardon the pun) record year, bringing his Double Down Tour to cities across the country and playing back to back shows on two nights at each stop, changing his set list for the Friday and Saturday shows. He also broke an attendance record at Nashville's Nissan Stadium, all in support of his 2018 album, Desperate Man.
5. Kenny Chesney, $31 million
Chesney took his Trip Around the Sun Tour around the country in 2018 and toured smaller venues for his Songs for the Saints 2019 Tour in 2019, though the venues were just one step down from stadiums and saw the beach-loving star visit 18 different arenas.
4. Blake Shelton, $32 million
Shelton's gig on The Voice constitutes a notable portion of the Oklahoma native's earnings. He also has multiple locations of his entertainment and food venue Ole Red in Nashville, his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Shelton performed on his Country Music Freaks Tour in 2018 and his Friends and Heroes Tour in 2019 and is also in the alcohol business with Smithworks Vodka.
3. Keith Urban, $35 million
Urban traveled the world on his Graffiti U Tour in 2018 and 2019 in support of his April 2018 album of the same name. He began the trek in the United States and Canada before heading to Australia and Europe for a total of 78 shows.
2. Zac Brown Band, $38.5 million
Zac Brown Band is constantly touring, and released their genre-bending album The Owl in September. Their Down the Rabbit Hole Live tour ran from 2018-2019 and preceded the group's The Owl Tour, which hit some of the biggest venues in the country and is extending in to 2020.
1. Luke Bryan, $42.5 million
Bryan claimed the top spot for the second year in a row, and while he hasn't released a studio album since 2017, he's boosted heavily by the $1 million he earns for each tour stop and the hefty paycheck he takes home from American Idol. Like several others on the list, Bryan also has a bar in downtown Nashville, Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge.
Photo Credit: Getty / Carmen Mandato
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