Forbes has put out it’s list of the highest-paid musicians of 2012…. and guess what?

Dr Dre is #1.

Calculated from May 2011 through May 2012, Dre is the leader of the pack of rock, pop and rap stars and moguls with a massive $110 million in pretax earnings.

He collected $100 million pretax when handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year, at the beginning of our scoring period; he and his partners later bought back half of what they sold.

“The brands are so aligned, Dre and Beats, it’s just who he is,” says Kevin Liles, former president of Def Jam Recordings, who now manages acts ranging from Young Jeezy to Trey Songz.     …. —Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes Staff

Last year’s highest-paid musicians was U2 and they finished in fourth place this year with combined earnings of $78 million (£48.6m) from their three-year 360 tour.

Other British stars in the top 25 included Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters (2nd), Elton John (3rd) Paul McCartney (8th), Coldplay (21st), Adele (22nd) and Sade (25th).

The top 25 list is as follows:

1. Dr Dre – $100 million (£62.3m)
2. Roger Waters – $88m (£54.8m)
3. Elton John – $80m (£49.8m)
4. U2 – $78m (£48.6m)
5. Take That – $69m (£43m)
6. Bon Jovi – $60m (£37.3m)
7. Britney Spears – $58m (£36.1m)
8= Paul McCartney – $57m (£35.5m)
8= Taylor Swift – $57m (£35.5m)
10= Justin Bieber – $55m (£34m)
10= Toby Keith – $55m (£34m)
12. Rihanna – $53m (£33m)
13. Lady Gaga – $52m (£32.4m)
14. Foo Fighters – $47m (£29.2m)
15= Diddy – $45m (£28m)
15= Katy Perry – $45m (£28m)
17. Kenny Chesney $44m (£27.4m)
18. Jay-Z – $40m (£24.9m)
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – $39m (£24.2m)
20. Beyonce – $38m (£23.6m)
21. Coldplay – $37m (£23m)
22= Adele – $35m (£21.7m)
22= Kanye West – $35m (£21.7m)
24. Michael Buble – $34m (£21.1m)
25. Sade – $33m (£20.5m)