Ben Woodhead Deputy editor - digital

Ben Woodhead is deputy editor - digital at the Financial Review Group. He writes on business, technology, politics and the economy and can be found on BRW, The Australian Financial Review and Smart Investor.

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Women on top in highest-paid young celebs

Published 16 July 2012 05:16, Updated 17 July 2012 07:23

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Women on top in highest-paid young celebs

In the money ... Singing sensation Taylor Swift took home a whopping $US57 million in the year to May 2012, by Forbes’ calculations. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones

The corporate world might still be grappling with gender equality but the entertainment industry doesn’t seem to have the same problem.

According to Forbes,women are coming up trumps among the highest-paid celebrities under 30, with young starlets taking out four of the top five places and six of the top 10 in a new earners list the business website has published.

Being in the film series Twilight also helps, with three stars from the vampire flicks making the 10.

Top of the pops is singer Taylor Swift, who Forbes estimates raked in a staggering $US57 million in the year to May 2012 from album sales, gigs and endorsements. Explaining how the 22 year old does it, the website notes that each of her albums has gone platinum at least four times, meaning “Swift can be counted on to sell at least 4 million copies of every album”.

Another female singer who can be counted on the move truckloads of LPs is Barbados-born R&B sensation Rihanna (24), who took home total pay of $US53 million and secured third spot on the list of top-earning celebs under 30.

Aiding her earnings was an extensive concert tour and endorsements, including deals with Vita Coco and Nivea.

Other women in the top 10 include: fourth ranked Lady Gaga (26), with $US52 million, which is a big drop from the $US90 million she earned in the previous year thanks to touring; No. 5 placed songstress and divorcee Katy Perry (27), with $US45 million; No 6. ranked singer Adele (24), with $US35 million; and, highest-paid Hollywood actress and No. 7 ranked Kristin Stewart (22), with $US34.5 million

As for the blokes, teen sensation Justin Bieber (18), who touched down in Australia over the weekend, ran a close second to Swift, with $US55 million in earnings. Like Swift, Bieber takes home big time pay packets for album sales, concerts and endorsements, but he’s “also a budding venture capitalist”, making investments in a number of start-ups, including web outfit Spotify.

As for the other guys, at No. 8 at is rapper Lil Wayne (29), who took home $US27 million, while Twilight actors Taylor Lautner (20) and Robert Pattinson (26) rounded out the top 10 with $US26.5 million apiece.

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