WHO ARE THE WORLD'S BEST PAID MUSIC STARS IN fORBES MAGAZINE?

If the perennial rumours about the death of the music business are true, nobody's told the Police. Or Beyoncé. Or Madonna.

Indeed, though there's no denying music's old business model has taken a massive hit in recent years—blame it on piracy, the Web or the advent of the recordable CD—there's still plenty of money to be made in the music industry.

In fact, the 10 stars on our list of the world's top-earning musicians raked in a combined US$500 million between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, thanks in large part to lucrative tours, endorsement contracts and all-encompassing deals. (Hip-hop stars have been ranked separately.) Now see the list.