ROC4LIFE

Billboard has released their list of the top earners in pop music for 2011 and only one hip-hop act made the top ten. Lil Wayne holds down the No. 5 spot, raking in just over $23 million for the year, thanks to his Carter IV album and his Young Money label  doing well on the charts while he was on his little state vacation.

It was country star Taylor Swift who topped the list having earned $35.7 million last year from the sales of her Speak Now album and the world tour she embarked on to promote her third studio album. Other ladies who fared well on the list were of course Lady Gaga, who saw her Monsters Ball tour come to an end in May, the iconic songstress Sade, and Adele who came in at No. 10 with earnings of $13.1 million.

And who says there isn’t money to be made in the music business?

• 1 Taylor Swift – $35.7m
• 2 U2 – $32.1m
• 3 Kenny Chesney – $29.8m
• 4 Lady Gaga – $25.4m
• 5 Lil Wayne – $23.2m
• 6 Sade – $16.4m
• 7 Bon Jovi – $15.8m (pictured)
• 8 Celine Dion – $14.3m
• 9 Jason Adlean – $13.4m
• 10 Adele – $13.1m

[Full List: Billboard]

— Melanie