ROCK RICHES It is always interesting to see who makes Rolling Stone's list of top moneymakers. (In order, U2, the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Paul McCartney and Elton John make up the top five in 2005, with most of the revenue coming from concert tickets.)
But even more intriguing is the fact that the top acts are getting multimillion-dollar advances for the merchandise sold primarily at their shows.
Brian Hiatt and Steve Knopper write: "With shirts selling for $35 or more, top bands earn about $10 per head from merchandise sales, which can add up to a gross take of as much as $150,000 a night for U2 or the Stones."
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