Amy Winehouse / Photo by Rebbecca Smeyne

In June, while beset with allegations of crack abuse, apologizing for singing a nursery rhyme laden with racial slurs, and lamenting an incarcerated husband, Amy Winehouse found time to give a private concert in Moscow. Hired by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to perform for 300 guests at his socialite girlfriend's new art gallery, Winehouse reportedly arrived looking characteristically disheveled (and apparently sans underwear), took the stage two hours late, and played a brief, wobbly set with a full backing band. For this she is said to have made $2 million.

With the record business in turmoil, many artists have found a new way to subsidize their luxe lifestyle: playing private gigs for filthy-rich Russian oligarchs. Christina Aguilera demonstrated the earning potential in 2005 when she was paid $2 million to sing at the wedding of Andrey Melnichenko (No. 158 on Forbes' list of billionaires). George Michael upped the ante a year later, earning $3 million to perform at a New Year's Eve party hosted by mining tycoon Vladimir Potanin (No. 25 on Forbes' list). Jennifer Lopez received $1.5 million to sing at the 2006 birthday party of developer Telman Ismailov, a certified pop-star sugar daddy who earlier that year threw an all-star bash featuring Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, and Robbie Williams. And Rihanna pocketed half a mil to ring in 2008 with aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska (Forbes rank: No. 9).

Cashing in on private concerts isn't new for pop stars, but what makes this noteworthy is the wild east locale, the particular businessmen involved, and the number of zeros attached to the performers' fees. "It's almost obscene that people could waste that much money on a private show," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar. "It's what the industry calls 'stupid money.' It's so much it's impossible to refuse." According to him, a private gig is more lucrative than a public concert because the overhead is so low. When Tom Petty played Madison Square Garden in June, he grossed $1.5 million before paying his road crew, his band, and travel and production costs. J.Lo earned the same amount and reportedly received another $800,000 to cover expenses. It doesn't matter if J.Lo isn't hurting for cash. Ricky Martin's business manager Bruno Del Ganado says artists play these shows "for the same reason oil companies charge more for oil -- because they can."