Each year, Forbes releases a list detailing the highest earning performers in music. While you can guess that hip-hop moguls and pop stars took the most prominent positions, heavy metal and hard rock were still well represented this year. On the Top 10 highest paid list, Guns N' Roses took home the No. 6 position with $84 million, and Metallica scored the No. 10 slot with $66.5 million.

Both Metallica and Guns N' Roses can attribute much of this success to their rigorous touring schedule throughout 2017. Metallica embarked on their "WorldWired" tour, a massive run of dates that included a run through North America with Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat and Gojira. Guns N' Roses also experienced a huge amount of success on their "Not in This Lifetime" tour, which began back in 2016 and ran across the world in 2017, including a huge amount of North America dates with Deftones, Our Lady Peace, Royal Blood and more.

Time will tell what will be next for both bands. Guns N' Roses have plotted the beginnings of their 2018, announcing a new European leg of "Not in This Lifetime" that is set to begin in June. Metallica, on the other hand, have kept their 2018 plans close to the chest, though it wouldn't be surprising if their move was to take it easy for the majority of the year.

You can read the full list of highest earners below, and head over to Forbes to see full breakdowns of the rest of the groups mentioned.

1. Diddy ($130 M)
2. Beyoncé ($105 M)
3. Drake ($94 M)
4. The Weeknd ($92 M)
5. Coldplay ($88 M)
6. Guns N’ Roses ($84 M)
7. Justin Bieber ($83.5 M)
8. Bruce Springsteen ($75 M)
9. Adele ($69 M)
10. Metallica ($66.5 M)

Metallica Albums Ranked 

Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Appetite for Destruction’: The Story of Rock's Most Dangerous Album

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