Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris dethrone Beyonce and Jay Z as highest-paid celebrity couple

2015 may just be Taylor Swift's year.

After scoring a landmark victory over Apple, the pop superstar and her new DJ boyfriend Calvin Harris have been announced as Forbes magazine's highest-paid celebrity couple of 2015.

The lovebirds took the top spot with combined earnings of $146 million (£92.8m) over the past 12 months – a staggering $35.5 million more than reigning champions Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z.

Swift's impressive payday was thanks to her successful fifth studio album, 1989, which debuted in October 2014. The record was the highest selling global album since 2002. The Shake It Off hitmaker's lucrative endorsement deals with Diet Coke, Keds and Sony also boosted her earnings.

Meanwhile, Harris, 31, made money from his Las Vegas residency at Caesar's Palace and fashion campaigns with Giorgio Armani and Sol Republic headphones. The Scottish DJ's fourth studio album, Motion, sold 35,000 copies in its first week.

Although it was not enough to keep the throne, Beyonce and Jay Z still had a year to cheer their bank managers. The Drunk in Love songstress's earnings came from her fragrance line and endorsement deals with Pepsi, H&M and others, while her rapper husband owns his entertainment company Roc Nation, Armand de Brignac champagne and D'Usse cognac.

Coming in third place are Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, with combined earnings of $57 million. Shelton's gig as judge of the US version of The Voice, Lambert's multiple CMA awards and ventures like Red55 Wine, Pink Pistol and Dixie Darlin boosted the couple's finances.

Elsewhere, Swift has changed the music game after after calling out Apple in an open letter over its refusal to pay artists during free trials of its new music-streaming service.

After the 25-year-old singer threatened to hold back 1989 from the service the tech giant reversed its payment policy and agreed to compensate artists during the free trial period, tweeting: "#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer's free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple"

Taylor has since agreed to allow Apple Music to stream 1989.