Concert Earnings Defy Recession

(NEWSER) - When it comes to overall revenues in 2008, all other musicians took a back seat to Madonna. Billboard notes that the top 20 earners all toured, a move that is bringing in more and more money as record sales tank. The top moneymakers:

1. Madonna: With more than $242 million, the Material Girl's 'Sticky and Sweet" tour tops the list, even though her album had middling sales.

Bruce Springsteen finishes 2nd to Irish superstars, and it's not even close

(NEWSER) - The news that U2 was the top moneymaker in music in 2009 is no surprise, but what may come as a bit of a shock is the gap between No. 1 and No. 2. The Irish rockers brought in $108.6 million lat year, nearly twice as much as runner-up Bruce Springsteen's $57.5 million. Extending the greatest hits of the '80s theme, the next two acts in the Billboard rankings are Madonna and AC/DC, with Britney Spears somewhat unexpectedly rounding out the top 5. More»

Beyoncé sets record with 6 Grammys; Swift captures album of the year

(NEWSER) - Beyoncé won six Grammy Awards tonight in Los Angeles, setting a record for a female performer, but was foiled in two high-profile categories. The R&B superstar captured song of the year for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On it)," while Taylor Swift took home album of the year for "Fearless"—one of the 20-year-old pop-country star's four trophies—and Kings of Leon won Record of the Year for "Use Somebody." More»

Lady Gaga talks new album The Fame Monster and The Monster Ball concerts

(NEWSER) - Lady Gaga's upcoming tour is more than just a series of concerts—it's a pop-electro opera, "a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you've ever been to," she tells Rolling Stone. The Monster Ball launches Nov. 27, four days after the release of The Fame Monster, an album she says is "much more personal" than her last. More»

No word on what killed the 'Fame Kills' partnership

(NEWSER) - Kanye West and Lady Gaga aren’t hitting the road together after all, but there’s no word tonight on what might have been the death knell for the Fame Kills Tour. The circus was to have opened Nov. 10, but in addition to rumors it was on thin ice after West’s award-show interruption of Taylor Swift, MTV notes that, though the rapper announced the tour in the spring, reps didn’t confirm it until weeks ago. More»