Lady Gaga's Twitter "earns $30m a year", according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

The article believes that her Twitter account - which has 20 million plus followers - has generated a strong fanbase which ultimately could have contributed up to a third of the singer's reported $90m income over the last financial year.

John Bonini, marketing manager for Impact Branding & Design, believes that the bond her fans have with her on Twitter makes them less likely to illegally download her music.

He added: "She really engages them and re-tweets stuff they say as if she was one of them."

Gaga hit the world record 20 million follower mark earlier this month - leaving the likes of Justin Bieber and Britney Spears trailing in her wake.