Forbes has released its list of Top Earning Musicians of the year, with Madonna at #1. From June 2008 to June 2009, the Material Girl made $110 million, though this figure doesn't count her costly divorce from director Guy Ritchie. Celine Dion came in second with $100 million, followed by Beyoncé at #3 with $87 million. Bruce Springsteen ($70 million) and Kenny Chesney ($65 million) round out the top five. Coldplay, Rascal Flatts and AC/DC were tied at #6 with approximately $60 million each. The Eagles earned $55 million, with Toby Keith at #10 with $52 million.

A short teaser video for Alice In Chains' comeback single, "A Looking In View," has debuted online. On the band's website, the video and the date "June 30" are listed, so presumably the full video and track will debut next Tuesday. Alice In Chains' new album, Black Gives Way To Blue, will be released on September 29. The video clip can be seen below:

The ex-members of Evanescence, including band co-founder Ben Moody, recently announced the formation of a new band, The Fallen, with ex-American Idol contestant Carly Smithson. However, the band's name has changed to We Are The Fallen, thanks to a cease-and-desist letter from a Philadelphia band already called The Fallen. (No word on if the villain from Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen took issue with the name as well.) We Are The Fallen has released a new song, "Bury Me Alive," on WeAreTheFallen.com and Moody tells Billboard the band will gradually release new songs online, with a CD likely in 2010.

Linkin Park performed a short concert in Los Angeles on Monday as part of the premiere of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. The brief gig included the band's new single, "New Divide," which appears in the movie. In other Linkin Park news, singer Chester Benningon's side project Dead By Sunrise will perform in Las Vegas on July 4.

The Fray is considering releasing new material sooner than later, as drummer Ben Wysocki told Billboard, "There's some scraps left over from the studio. There's also already quite a handful of (new) stuff that we have, that we've started on the road and in our own little home studios. So we might take a week some time on this tour and hide away in a studio somewhere and hash those out just to see what happens." The Fray will be out touring extensively in 2009 behind their current, self-titled release.

With My Morning Jacket taking much of 2009 off, frontman Jim James is keeping busy. Billboard reports he will release an EP of George Harrison covers called Tribute To on August 4, under the name "Yim Yames." Then on September 22, Shangri-La Music will release the supergroup Monsters Of Folk record, with James, M. Ward and Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes.

The Deftones have announced in a statement on their website that the band is scrapping the album Eros, which they have been working on, and starting anew. However, the group notes that the songs for Eros "will see the light of day at some point." As for the state of bassist Chi Cheng, who remains in a coma, the Deftones note that "he continues to get hospital care, but often it feels as if we’re no closer to knowing what is ultimately going to happen to him as he continues to fight off infections as part of an ongoing battle with his condition." The band is planning a benefit concert for him in Los Angeles later this year.

Ray Davies tells The Independent that a new film about The Kinks will be directed by Julien Temple, who has made documentaries about The Sex Pistols and Joe Strummer of The Clash. Davies also said it is unlikely the seminal band will ever properly reunite again.

Autopsy results for ex-Wilco member Jay Bennett have been revealed, and the musician passed away last month of a pain killer overdose. The Chicago Tribune reports that Bennett died from prescription pain killer fentanyl. Bennett had revealed shortly before his death that he was suffering from hip problems and needed major replacement surgery.