Which Musician Made The Most Money Last Year?

So just who in music made the most money last year? Well, despite it being the name of one of her hit songs, you can bet this star's checkbook isn't in the red...

Yes, once it was all tallied up, Taylor Swift was music’s biggest money maker for 2013.

In Billboard’s annual ranking of the highest-paid musicians of the past year, America’s country sweetheart tops the list with earnings, outranking everyone from Justin Timberlake to Luke Bryan and Fleetwood Mac.

The country icon may be just 24, but she has a comfortable lead on her richest musician counterparts. With earnings topping $39 million, Swift made over $6 million more than the No. 2 earner, Kenny Chesney, in 2013.

Speaking of Chesney and other country stars, the genre made the 40-person list more than any other! Swift, Bryan and Chesney are joined by Jason Aldean, George Strait, Blake Shelton, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood.

Swift’s money-making prowess is thanks to the fact that she pretty much owned every level of the industry last year, capturing revenue in every way possible.

Her album sales always soar, and on the digital front, she does even better. Billboard reports that Swift has nearly 10 million downloads and ranks fifth in earnings from online streaming royalties. That’s not to mention all the money the ‘Love Story’ starlet pulls in with touring, which is where she really shines. Thanks to the fervor and dedication of ‘Swifties’ all over the world, her Red Tour brought in around $30 million — way more than anyone else on the list. And while the singer certainly earned a pretty penny through her take of ticket sales alone, she also raked in cash from three integrated sponsorships with Keds, Elizabeth Arden and Diet Coke, as well as from merch sales, which figured in at about $17 per concert-goer  — almost $10 million in all.

To top it all off, Swift makes more than double her ex Harry Styles and his One Direction bandmates, who come in at No. 13 on the highest earners list. How’s that for payback?