"Queen of Pop" Madonna becomes "Queen of Cash"

In a poll conducted by the Forbes magazine, the 50-year-old 'Material Girl' singer has topped the slot, thanks in part to the success of her ‘Hard Candy’ album, her sold-out 'Sticky & Sweet' tour and lucrative endorsement deals.

To grab the top spot in Forbes’ annual list of the top-earning musicians (from June 2008 to June 2009), Madonna has pipped Celine Dion and Beyonce Knowles, who have been ranked second and third respectively in the list.

Runner-ups
Canadian pop diva Dion finished second with an estimated $100 million, while the singer-actress Beyonce was placed third with $87 million, thanks to touring “I Am… Sasha Fierce” and promotional deals, as well as her esteemed performances in movies “Obsessed” and “Cadillac Records”.

Rocker Bruce Springsteen and country star Kenny Chesney bagged the fourth and fifth place, after earning $70 million and $65 million respectively in the past year. However, there was a three-way tie for the number six position between Coldplay, Rascal Flatts and AC/DC, who all earned $60 million each.

Complete list
The list of Forbes’ top earning musicians this year are:

1. Madonna $110 million
2. Celine Dion $100 million
3. Beyonce Knowles $87 million
4. Bruce Springsteen $70 million
5. Kenny Chesney $65 million
6. Coldplay $60 million (tie)
6. Rascal Flatts $60 million (tie)
6. AC/DC $60 million (tie)
7. The Eagles $55 million
8. Toby Keith $52 million
9. Bon Jovi $50 million
10. Dave Matthews Band $45 million

According to Forbes, the top 10 musicians on the list earned a combined $719 million from June 2008 to June 2009, up from $500 million during the same period a year ago.

To compile its annual list of top earning musicians, the American business magazine estimates the musicians' gross earnings by tallying album sales, publishing rights and endorsement deals.

Madonna and motherhood
The hot beauty Madonna is the mother of four. She has two biological children- Rocco John Ritchie, her eight-year-old son with her former hubby Guy Ritchie, and a 12-year-old daughter Lourdes, fathered by her personal trainer, Carlos Leon.

She also has three-year-old son David Banda, whom she adopted along with Ritchie from Malawi in 2006, and recently adopted 3-year-old girl, Chifundo "Mercy" James, from Malawi.