This just in... Country Music Stars Make A Lot of Money

The wait is over folks! After much speculation on whether or not country music stars are actually raking in the big ones, Forbes confirms that, indeed, country music stars are LOADED! In fact, the grand total of the top 11 richest country artists on Forbes's list caps out at just shy of 400 million dollars ($394.5 mil to be exact).

While these stars have definitely netted a lot of money on the backbone of their music alone, it is important to note from a business perspective that most of these stars gain a lot of money from other endorsements or business endeavors.

Coming in at the number 1 spot with a whopping $60 million (almost $20 million more than the runner-up) was to no surprise, Garth Brooks. Garth is a special case where he holds a reputation for his live shows and immense touring schedules that could rival the likes of Bruce Springsteen and U2.

Coming in second place with a not too shabby $42.5 million is Kenny Chesney, collecting his income from a slew of stadium tours, along with his endorsements with Corona and Apple, and his own company Blue Chair Rum. Luke Bryan comes in just behind Kenny at $42 million. This is attributed to his Kill the Lights Tour, his reality show Buck Commander, and his endorsement deals with Miller Lite and Cabela's.

Superstar Dolly Parton came in at number 4 with $37 million with her 60-plus date tour, along with additional income from her theme park Dollywood. Tied for the number 5 spot are Toby Keith and Florida Georgia Line with $34.5 million each. FGL picked up their benjamins through their endorsements with Advance Auto Parts and Nito Tires coupled with the success of the Dig Your Roots Tour. Toby continues to make money all over the place and in his sleep with income drawing from tours, Ford endorsements, Wild Shot mezcal and a diverse portfolio of restaurant chains.

Seven, eight and nine go to the big boys Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, and Keith Urban, earning $32.5 million, $31.5 million, and $30 million respectively. Jason made his haul mainly from his They Don't Know Tour (he'll need it with the new baby on the way!). Blake's cut came from his music along with reportedly double digit millions for his role on The Voice. Keith's income came from touring as well as his own line of guitars.

Tied for number 10 are Eric Church and the Zac Brown Band, bringing in a measly $25 million each! These incomes are attributed to the massive tours of each of the two hot acts.

The next time your parents are squashing on your dreams to be a country music star, make sure you show them this list as well as possible endorsement ideas that you think would work well with your style. Congrats to these musicians that have put so much time into making music for us on their long and successful careers!