Forbes.com: What does it take to become one of the highest-paid musicians of the 2010s? A career that peaked in the 1980s. Nearly half of the artists that make up this year’s list of the top-earning music acts have been around long enough that they could have appeared on the soundtrack to Back to the Future.

That U2, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna could collectively make an estimated $372 million between June 2009 and June 2010—a little more than half of the $700 million that the top 10 acts in music brought in—highlights the way that the music business has changed over the last decade. Apple’s ( AAPL - news - people ) iTunes aside, few young consumers have shown that they are willing to pay for music that they can easily get for free. Album sales have plummeted by more than half since 2000, taking away a lucrative earnings stream for musicians and one of the ways that artists have traditionally broken through into the mainstream.

1. U2: $130m
2. AC/DC: $114m
3. Beyonce Knowles: $87m
4. Bruce Springsteen: $70m
5. Britney Spears: $64m
6. Jay-Z: $63m
7. Lady Gaga: $62m
8. Madonna: $58m
9. Kenny Chesney: $50m
10. Black Eyed Peas/Coldplay: $48m