Forbes lists the top-earning YouTube stars for 2014 to 2015
Forbes has ranked the YouTube stars who earned the most for the year ending on June 1, 2015... and the money they raked in can make you seriously think that you're in the wrong line of work. The first person in the list shouldn't surprise gamers: it's Pewdiepie, who reportedly took in a jaw-dropping amount of $12 million for his video game playthroughs and commentaries. Another gamer, KSI, also made the list after taking in $4.5 million. Video gamers aren't the only ones earning sweet, sweet YouTube money, though. Comedy acts seem to be doing great on the website, as well, with duos Smosh and Fine Brothers getting $8.5 million each. Showing off her unusual talent has paid off for Lindsey Stirling, as well, seeing as she took in $6 million for dancing while playing the violin in her videos. Michelle Phan may not be uploading as many make-up tutorials these days, but she still earned $3 million, thanks to her various deals and investments.
The publication used a number of sources, including Nielsen and IMDB to come up with the figures they did. Take note that these numbers represent the entirety of the personalities' earnings before taxes, management and other fees -- an earlier report by a Swedish newspaper put Pewdiepie's earnings at $7 million in 2014 -- and include the money they got from ads, sponsorships, book deals and the like. By the way, the prankster and the self-taught baking chef who make up the bottom of the list still made $2.5 million each, so we wouldn't be surprised if you're setting up a YouTube account right as you read this.
