Dido makes list of top music money earners

Pop star Dido has made it into a list of the music biggest earners.

The singer made £15.8m (€23.3m) last year thanks to the massive success of her two albums, according to Heat magazine’s annual rich list.

Her second album, Life For Rent, was the biggest seller of 2003 with worldwide sales of nearly eight million.

Her first, No Angel, continued to fly off the shelves and has now sold 12 million copies.

The 32-year-old is nominated for three Brit Awards tonight but will not be there to accept them if she wins, having decided to cancel her engagements and concentrate on writing and rehearsing for her forthcoming world tour.

She is at number 10 in the rich list, which is dominated by old-timers.

The Rolling Stones top the list with a £55.3m (€81.7m) pay-day last year after a lucrative world tour and accompanying DVDs.

Paul McCartney – last year’s number one – was second with Elton John third. Both amassed their fortunes thanks to successful tours in 2003.

Robbie Williams made £30m (€44.3m) last year and is in fourth place after his record-breaking Knebworth gigs, which spawned a best-selling live album and DVD.

Coldplay are fifth in the list after a year which saw them catapulted into the superstar league.

Heat bases its rich list on estimated earnings from record and DVD sales, tour revenue, merchandising, music publishing royalties and other income.

Also in the top 10 are heavy metal act Iron Maiden.Top 10:

1 Rolling Stones

2 Paul McCartney

3 Elton John

4 Robbie Williams

5 Coldplay

6 Sting

7 Phil Collins

8 Fleetwood Mac

9 Iron Maiden

10 Dido