Making almost half as much as her hip-hop star husband Jay-Z, Beyonce is an eternal presence in the music rich list thanks to an ever-expanding empire.

The former Destiny's Child star grossed $86m from her 93-stop world tour, and added millions to the bottom line with her growing fashion line House of Dereon, as well as a range endorsement deals with companies such as Nintendo and L'Oreal.

As well as being one of the most popular female artists around, with a fortune of nearly $90m, Beyonce is the highest-earning solo artist of the last year.