Top 10 Highest Paid Country Stars in the World

With its down-home image of jeans, cowboy boots, and pick-up trucks, it can come as a bit of a surprise that country music pays so much. In fact, the top earners in the genre, as listed by Forbes, show that a successful country music career can make you very, very rich.

While a few Academy of Country Music awards or nominations can help boost a country act’s earnings, the highest paid country stars in the world today make their money through hard work, diversifying and, of course, talent.

https://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeel45fhdil/country-cash-kings-2016

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1 / 10

10. Keith Urban

Mr. Nicole Kidman won his first ACM award in 2001, for Top New Male Vocalist. The singer from Down Under received five nominations this year – not counting the two nominations for the Forever Country song project he participated in – but the $22 million he earned in 2016 came mainly from touring and from his work on American Idol.

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2 / 10

9. Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton won his first ACM award in 2010, for Vocal Event of the Year. This year he participated in Forever Country, which earned two nominations, but much of his money comes from television work. According to Forbes, last year Shelton’s $24 million income was divided equally between his earnings from The Voice and from touring.

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3 / 10

8. Carrie Underwood

Former American Idol Carrie Underwood has been raking in the ACM awards and nominations since her debut in 2006 and is one of only a handful of artists to have received the Triple-Crown Award. She received two nominations this year in addition to the two nominations Forever Country has earned. Last year she made $26 million through concerts, her clothing line and as the face of Olay.

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4 / 10

7. Shania Twain

Canada’s top country export won her first two ACM awards with her 1995 debut but hasn’t had a new album out in years. Still, her Las Vegas residency made her country’s highest paid woman in 2016, with an income of $27.5 million.

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5 / 10

6. Zac Brown Band

Three-time ACM award winners the Zac Brown Band may not have raked in the nominations this year, but they’ve been doing pretty well nonetheless. Last year, their last studio album and a busy touring schedule earned them $30 million.

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6 / 10

5. Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean’s 2005 debut won him his first ACM award, for Top New Male Vocalist, and he’s since become a winner of the prestigious Triple-Crown Award. He received two nominations this year in addition to the nominations for Forever Country and most of his $36.5 million income last year came from touring.

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7 / 10

4. Toby Keith

Toby Keith has won seven ACM awards since 2000, but this year his only nominations have been for his participation in twice-nominated Forever Country. However, touring and business ventures such as Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill have earned him a cool $47.5 million last year.

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8 / 10

3. Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan won his first two ACM awards in 2010 and this year he was nominated for Entertainer of the Year, along with Forever Country’s two nominations. Forbes says that the singer grossed seven figures per city on tour last year, earning him $53 million.

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9 / 10

2. Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney is a winner of the ACM’s Triple-Crown Award and this year, he was nominated not only for his work on Forever Country but also for his collaboration with Pink. Touring and stadium shows earned him $56 million last year.

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10 / 10

1. Garth Brooks

Even though his only nominations this year have been for his work on Forever Country, Garth Brooks holds the record for the most ACM awards won. Touring and income from his albums earned him $70 million in 2016, making him country music’s highest paid star by far and getting him friends in not-so-low places.