Taylor Swift’s net worth has only heightened in the last two years thanks to her billion-dollar Eras Tour, which ended on 8 December after a staggering 152 shows worldwide. The global pop star is among some of the richest people in the world, but just how wealthy is she?
Taylor Swift's net worth currently stands at $1.6 billion (£1.3 billion). This doesn’t make her the richest woman in the world, but she is now the richest female musician. Previously, this title was held by Rihanna, whose net worth is $1.4 billion (£1.1 billion).
Though Swift’s fortune is nowhere close to Elon Musk’s, the American singer-songwriter’s economic influence is substantial. When her juggernaut Eras Tour arrived on UK soil this summer, it boosted UK spending and prevented inflation from falling below 2% in June.
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Meanwhile, Swift’s cultural influence is almost unrivalled. Celebrities spotted at her London shows this summer included David Beckham and Paul McCartney. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also went to one of her concerts, as did Prince William and two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. In April of this year, Swift became the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history, with more than 300 million streams.
The pop star made headlines after endorsing Kamala Harris during the 2024 US election. According to the General Services Administration, which runs the vote.gov site, Swift’s Instagram endorsement drove more than 400,000 people to the website in less than 24 hours.
We delve into Swift's net worth and explore how her success as an artist and businesswoman has helped build her fortune.
Taylor Swift's net worth explained
Taylor Swift is one of the very few artists who has reached billionaire status from music sales and performing alone, without the need for side hustles to boost her wealth. The Eras Tour and re-recording her first six albums to regain ownership rights were two key milestones in building her net worth.
Forbes estimates that of Swift’s massive wealth, an immense $600 million (£477 million) is from music royalties and touring. Most other artists like Ed Sheeran and Oasis amass their fortune as a combination of music and other investments – like the Shape of You singer’s minority stake in Premier League team Ipswich Town FC.
Swift also has a music catalogue worth around $600million (£477million) and $125million (£99million) in real estate. As for the Eras Tour, Pollstar puts the tour’s gross earnings at over $1billion (£795million) – and that’s just counting the first 60 shows and 92 remaining.
So, how much will Taylor earn from her tour? According to The Times, the individual standard for artists is to receive about 85% of the income from each ticket, which would mean that Swift earns $14.7million (£11.4million) per show before costs and taxes. It could mean her gross takings are $2.24 billion (£1.78billion).
IQ also reports that Swift’s The Eras Tour concert film became the highest-grossing concert/documentary film in box office history, earning more than $261.2million (£207.6million) globally.
But let’s go back – where did Taylor Swift come from and how did her journey into fame begin?
How did Taylor Swift become famous?
Named after singer-songwriter James Taylor, Swift was born on 13 December 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania and showed an early interest in music. At age 12, she learned to play the guitar and began writing her own songs.
Swift's big break came in 2006 when, at just 17, she signed a record deal with Big Machine Records. Her debut album was a critical and commercial success, spawning several hit singles, including “Our Song” which became Taylor Swift's first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Although her career began in country music, her music quickly gained mass appeal. Her second album Fearless debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and later became the top-selling album of 2009. Experimenting with different musical styles and establishing her versatility as a songwriter, her fourth album in 2012, Red, hit the jackpot, cementing her status as one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
Two years later, her fifth album 1989 marked a departure from her country roots and embraced a full pop sound, becoming a commercial and critical success that won her several awards, including the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Why Taylor Swift re-recorded her old music
Under the Big Machine label, Swift released some of her best-selling music. The contract with the record label lasted from 2005 to 2018 and, when the deal was up, the artist switched to Universal’s Republic Records. However, Big Machine owned the original recordings of her first six albums.
Big Machine was acquired by private-equity group Ithaca Holdings, owned by music manager Scooter Braun (now part of the Korean entertainment group, HYBE) and just 17 months later, Braun sold the rights to Swift’s master recordings to a private equity fund. Swift publicly criticised the deal, claiming she was not given the opportunity to buy back her recordings. She said: “This just happened to me without my approval, consultation or consent”.
In 2020 Swift announced she would re-record her first six albums in a bid to regain control of her music. She called her re-releases "Taylor's Version", gambling on her huge fan base to embrace the new recordings.
While motivated by personal reasons, this was also a savvy business decision. By holding the rights to her music, Swift keeps 100% of the royalties and the new releases reduce the marketability of the original masters. All four re-recorded albums – Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989 – have topped the Billboard 200 charts.
Swift didn’t just stick to re-recording her old music. In April, the singer-songwriter released her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which soon expanded into a double album with 31 songs. A day later, Swift broke the record for Spotify's most-streamed album in a single day.
How Taylor Swift's net worth has rocketed
Most of the singer-songwriter's wealth comes from her music sales and lucrative tours. Not all of this revenue goes to the artist, but Swift has many income streams. She owns several properties, including a $50 million apartment in New York City and a $17 million beachfront mansion in Rhode Island, and has an interest in the music streaming service Tidal.
Like many celebrities, Swift also has numerous sponsorship deals with major brands, including Coca-Cola, Keds and Apple. Swift is known for being very selective about the brands she works with – she only partners with those that align with her values and image. She also has a range of merchandise highly sought after by her fans.
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