So big time Rock bands make a lot of money. That's partially right. Some don't. Which band has made the most money in the last 25 years? The Rolling Stones. To the tune of $1.56 billion from 538 shows since 1990. That's a lot of rock and roll money. And that doesn't count album sales. And the Stones beat out some pretty heavy hitters. Mick Jagger and co top Billboard's list ahead of U2 ($1.51bn), Bruce Springsteen ($1.19bn), Bon Jovi ($1.03bn) and the Eagles ($702m). Roger Waters, Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart also appear, with Metallica at 17th position ($433m), Aerosmith at 18th ($418m) and AC/DC at 25th ($338m). The Stones took an average of $2.9m per show (not counting merchandise sales) over the quarter-century, having played 538 times during the period – compared to AC/DC's average of $1.1m per show from 316 appearances. So where are the young kids (Taylor Swift, Beiber, One Diredtion) in this? Well they are there. They just aren't as old. Here's a list of the real money makers in the music business.

BILLBOARD'S TOP 25 GROSSING BANDS 1990-2014

  1. Rolling Stones: $1.56bn (538 shows)
  2. U2: $1.51bn (526 shows)
  3. Bruce Springsteen: $1.19bn (727 shows)
  4. Madonna: $1.14bn (382 shows)
  5. Bon Jovi: $1.03bn (578 shows)
  6. Elton John: $787m (956 shows)
  7. Dave Matthews Band: $777m (992 shows)
  8. Celine Dion: $738m (1143 shows)
  9. Kenny Chesney: $753m (755 shows)
  10. Eagles: $702m (484 shows)
  11. Sting / The Police: $556m (605 shows)
  12. Roger Waters: $547m (316 shows)
  13. Paul McCartney: $506m (220 shows)
  14. BIlly Joel: $500m (577 shows)
  15. Rod Stewart: $497m (714 shows)
  16. Neil Diamond: $465m (643 shows)
  17. Metallica: $433m (468 shows)
  18. Aerosmith: $418m (582 shows)
  19. George Strait: $405m (584 shows)
  20. Jimmy Buffett: $403m (539 shows)
  21. Coldplay: $378m (315 shows)
  22. Toby Keith: $361m (711 shows)
  23. Cher: $352m (548 shows)
  24. Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks: $350m (483 shows)
  25. AC/DC: $338m (316 shows) http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2014-05-28/stones-top-25-year-tour-chart

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