The Top Ten Money Making Country Music Acts

Country Music Stars are bred, not born, earning fans down on Music Row, and garnishing fame at the Grand Ole Opry. Top Acts in today's Country Music scene must spend money to make money, always improving their shows, constantly building their Acts, and continually re-branding themselves, to remain on top. For Country Music Stars to increase their earnings they must TOUR. It is a combination of releasing new material about every 18 months, touring to promote that new material, while maintaining concert tickets inexpensively, especially in economically challenging times, that Top Stars increase their earnings potential.

Because Country Music is the music of the people, and remains the most popular genre of today's music world, Marketing deals for Top Stars to endorse such products as trucks, cowboy apparel, cotton, jeans, candy, and so many other items, provides another potentially large revenue generating dollar amount possibility to Top Country Music Stars. Marketers, knowing that Country Music fans are the most loyal fans in the world, target the Top Country Music Stars as the pool of Endorsers most Marketers draw from to reach the Mainstream America audience desired.

Another key element necessary for Country Music's Top Stars to continue drawing top money earnings is career longevity. Simply stated, the longer they can remain on top of the Country Music business the more opportunities they will have to earn the most money possible.

Based on concert money grosses, merchandise revenues generated, units sold, endorsement incomes, and licensing deals, these are the Top Ten Country Music Acts of 2008. Also included is some additional information about these Country Music Stars.

1 - With over $72 million earned, over 1 million tickets sold for his Poets and Pirates 2008 Tour, the most of all North American Tours, an endorsement deal with Corona, 30 Top Ten songs, 16 Number One songs, and 4 Entertainer of the Year Awards won, (in a row), known for his accessibility and tailgating with fans, born March 26, 1968, from Knoxville, Tennessee - Kenny Chesney.

2 - With over $60 million earned, over 940,000 tickets sold, 10 Number One songs, 5 Number One Albums, a JC Penny sponsorship deal, Singers, Songwriters, and Grammy-Award Winners, born September 13, 1975, (Jay DeMarcus), born April 26, 1971, (Joe Don Rooney), and born July 10, 1970, (Gary LeVox), bandmates from Columbus, Ohio - the boys of Rascal Flatts.

3 - With over $52 million earned, known as Country Music's Resident Show Dog, with a chain of restaurants, a clothing line, an Acting and Screenwriting career, and a Record Label, grossing over $31 million with his Biggest and Baddest Tour, born July 8, 1967, from Clinton, Oklahoma - Toby Keith.

4 - With over $18 million earned, the first female solo Country Music Artist to have written, or co-written, all the songs on her debut album, selling more than 3 million copies, the Number One Country Music Artist on MySpace with more than 40 million streams, and her own Fashion Doll, born December 13, 1989, from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania - Taylor Swift.

5 - With over $16 million earned, making their Duet debut in 1991, more than 40 Country Music Singles charted, 20 Number One songs, 10 Studio Albums, 2 Greatest Hits Albums, a Christmas Album, Entertainers of the Year, 3 Number One Country Music Singles of the Year, Hosting the American Country Countdown, multiple winners of the Brooks and Dunn Award, (commonly known as the Vocal Duo of the Year Award), born May 12, 1955, from Shreveport, Louisiana, (Kix Brooks), and born June 1, 1953, from Coleman, Texas, (Ronnie Dunn), better known as - Brooks and Dunn.

6 - With over $16 million earned, 40 million records sold, Singer-Songwriter, Son of Baseball Player Tug McGraw, 11 consecutive albums debuting at Number One, 3 Country Music Songs of the Year, multiple award winner, ranked as one of the Top Five in all genres of music, the highest grossing Tour in Country Music history, (the Soul2Soul Tour, with wife Faith Hill), Actor, and a Minority Owner of the Nashville Kats, born May 1, 1967, from Delhi, Louisiana - Tim McGraw.

7 - With over $16 million earned, Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist Extraordinaire, Grammy Award Winner, all albums released certified Gold or higher, 23 Country Music songs charted, 13 Number One Songs, a Country Music Song of the Year, combining Traditional Country Music, laced with unique humor, and cultural references in his music, at age 13 the Opening Act for the Judds, Ricky Skaggs, and George Jones, at the Capital Music Hall, in Wheeling, West Virginia, Member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a First born Son with the Middle Name of Huckleberry, born October 28, 1972, from Glen Dale, West Virginia - Brad Paisley.

8 - With over $14 million earned, Singers-Songwriters, Award Winners, a Song of the Year, originally a Trio, now a Duo, with a multi-platinum debut album, 4 Number One songs, born September 12, 1974, from Douglas, Georgia, (Jennifer Nettles), and born March 14, 1970, from Koxville, Tennessee, (Kristian Bush) - Sugarland.

9 - With over $14 million earned, Singer-Songwriter, Winner of the Fourth Season of American Idol, multi-platinum Seller, multi-Grammy Award Winner, the fastest selling Country Music Debut Album in history, the best selling solo female Debut Album in Country Music history, 7 Number One songs, reigning ACM Awards Entertainer of the Year, Member of the Grand Ole Opry, born March 10, 1983, from Muskogee, Oklahoma - Carrie Underwood.

10 - With over $12 million earned, Singer-Songwriter, Writer of the extremely poignant Song of the Year remembering the 9-11-2001 World Trade Center bombings, (Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning), over 50 million records sold, one of the 1990s most popular Singers, 50 Top 30 songs, 25 Number One songs, multiple award winner, well respected for the stance he took in support of George Jones at the Awards Show, Member of The Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Member of the Grand Ole Opry, known for Traditional Country Music, born October 17, 1958, from Newnan, Georgia - Alan Jackson.

The following websites contain a vast wealth of information about these Performers: forbes.com, kennychesney.com, rascalflatts.com, tobykeith.com, taylorswift.com, brooksanddunn.com, timmcgraw.com, bradpaisley.com, sugarland.com, carrieunderwoodofficial.com, and alanjackson.com.