Katy Perry beats Taylor Swift as highest earner

She didn’t make as many headlines, nor sell as many albums, but Katy Perry handily beat Taylor Swift to become the highest-earning woman in music this year, according to Forbes.

Perry, 31, earned $135 million in the past 12 months, thanks to a huge worldwide Prismatic tour and endorsement deals with beauty companies such as Coty and CoverGirl, Forbes estimated in a ranking released on Wednesday.

Swift, 25, was a distant second, with an estimated $80 million, despite some 8.6 million sales globally for her 1989 hit album and the start of a world tour.

Perry’s latest album, Prism, has sold some four million worldwide since its release in 2013 and the Roar singer has been touring for most of the year.

British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac was placed third with $59.5 million although only two of its five current line-up are women. Nevertheless, the return of 1970s veterans Stevie Nicks and Christine McVeigh was seen as a key to the success of the band’s year-long tour On With the Show, Forbes said.

Lady Gaga was ranked fourth with $59 million — a long way behind her 2011 peak of $90 million when she was grabbing headlines with outrageous stunts and costumes.

Last year’s top earner Beyonce slipped to fifth place with an estimated $54.5 million.

The Forbes list measures estimated pre-tax income from June 2014 to June 2015, and includes earnings from albums, touring, endorsements and other commercial deals.