In the battle of the blond pop music stars, the veteran has out-earned the newbie.  Britney Spears has narrowly beat-out Taylor Swift for the top spot on Forbes' annual list of music's top-earning women.  

The 31 year-old Britney hauled in $58 million over the past year thanks to her album "Femme Fatale", and the huge tour to support it.   It's not clear if her "X-factor" paycheck was factored in.

As for Taylor, who is celebrating her 23rd birthday today, she came in second on the Forbes' list, with $57 million.   The money she is earning for her new "Red" album will be included in next year's totals.

Rihanna comes in 3rd, with $54 million, followed by Lady Gaga with $52 million, and rounding out the top 5 was Katy Perry, who earned $45 million over the past year.   Madonna is now 9th on the list, having earned $30 million.

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