Britney Spears named top earning female singer of 2012

Washington: Britney Spears narrowly beat Taylor Swift by earning more money than any other female singer this year, according to Forbes’ latest list of music’s top-earning women.

The 31-year-old pop star hauled in 58 million dollars over the past year thanks to her latest album, ‘Femme Fatale,’ and the tour she did to support it, ABC News reported. Swift came in second on Forbes’ list at 57 million dollars. The 22-year-old country crossover has been on a non-stop promo tour for her new album, ‘Red,’ which went triple platinum in less than a month. To create the list, Forbes looked at income from record sales, touring, endorsements, merchandise, and other ventures. The figures represent earnings from May 2011 to May 2012, before subtracting management fees, legal costs and taxes. The other female artists who made the cut are: Rihanna, 54 million dollars. Lady Gaga, 52 million dollars. Katy Perry, 45 million dollars. Beyonce, 40 million dollars. Adele, 35 million dollars. Sade, 33 million dollars. Madonna, 30 million dollars. Shakira, 20 million dollars. ANI