At 15 years old, she was the youngest songwriter to ever sign with Sony. She now has 14 Grammys on her shelf — including four for album of the year, the most of any artist in history — several tours under her belt, 10 studio albums, a long list of chart-topping songs, and a beloved fan base who dub themselves “Swifties.”
Taylor Swift never fails to impress.
Such success makes Swift one of the world’s highest-paid celebrities and one of the richest female singers. According to a Bloomberg News analysis published on the eve of her “1989” album rerelease, Swift has officially built a billion-dollar empire.
Forbes recently confirmed her $1.1 billion net worth, citing in part her massive ongoing Eras Tour and its subsequent concert movie.
Swift has been strategic and generous with her money, investing in a sprawling $84 million real-estate portfolio and often donating to causes she supports.
AdvertisementTaylor Swift currently has an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion.
According to Forbes, which published a series of 2024 billionaire reports on Tuesday, Swift is the first musician to reach 10-figure status solely based on songwriting and performing (rather than brand deals or business ventures).
Swift’s vast fortune is primarily thanks to her valuable discography and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets, and merchandise.
Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment regarding the Forbes report.
The pop star’s record-breaking Eras Tour, which began in March 2023, propelled the singer to billionaire status.
Swift’s five-continent Eras Tour has been nothing short of a sensation. It’s the first tour ever to gross over $1 billion in revenue and is on track to become the highest-grossing tour of all time.
In October 2023, after Swift toured 56 dates across the US and Mexico, The Eras Tour had already generated $780 million and added $4.3 billion to America’s gross domestic product, according to Bloomberg Economics.
She has since made stops in Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia, and Singapore, with plans to continue in Europe and North America throughout 2024 following the release of her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Worldwide ticket presales had already exceeded $100 million before the film was released (a day early) on October 12, 2023, AMC Theatres reported.
According to ticketing service Fandango, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” set a new record for the highest first-day ticket sales in 2023. It has also become the highest-grossing concert movie of all time, surpassing “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.”
Swift, who bypassed movie studios to personally fund the concert movie, will receive half of the box office earnings for the film, which grossed $261 million worldwide.
Swift cashed in on her blockbuster Eras Tour movie again by selling the streaming rights to Disney for more than $75 million.
Once “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” had left theaters, Swift struck a deal with Disney+ to release the film’s extended version on streaming.
According to Puck News, Disney paid upwards of $75 million for the exclusive rights.
Citing anonymous sources, the outlet reported that Disney’s Bob Iger outbid Netflix and Universal Pictures (which handled VOD distribution for the film in December) for the streaming rights by offering the huge sum, which the other two streamers couldn’t match.
Swift has endorsement deals and partnerships with high-profile brands.
These partnerships include Capital One, AT&T, Stella McCartney, Elizabeth Arden perfumes, American Express, Keds, Diet Coke, Walmart, and Apple.
But touring has long been Swift’s biggest money maker. The 1989 World Tour grossed more than $250 million in 2015.
That figure is according to the Los Angeles Times.
She earned even more during her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.
At the time, the Reputation Stadium Tour broke the record for the highest-grossing US tour ever, according to Billboard. Swift earned an average of $7 million per show, more than double the US per-concert average during the “1989” tour.
But her tours don’t just bring in ticket sales. Swift also makes a huge sum of money from merch.
Last April, Forbes estimated that Swift’s coveted on-site merchandise — which she sells at an average price of $80 —could add an estimated $87 million in proceeds to her fortune.
Swift amassed an estimated $230 million in record sales following the release of her 2022 album “Midnights.”
According to The Guardian, Swift’s massive album sales for “Midnights” brought in $230 million for Swift’s label Universal.
With more than 1.5 million equivalent album units earned in the US in its first week, “Midnights” landed the biggest week for an album in seven years (since Swift’s own album “Reputation”).
Swift made $52 million in 2021 after rerecording earlier work that was acquired (and then sold) by Scooter Braun.
Swift embarked on a mission to rerecord her first six albums after Scooter Braun, whom she accused of “incessant, manipulative bullying,” purchased the legal rights to her back catalog in 2019. (He later sold the master recordings to a private-equity company.)
She released the first installment in the series, “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” in 2021. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 — indicating this would be a lucrative venture for Swift. Later that year, Swift’s new version of “Red” became one of the year’s top-selling albums.
The two rerecorded albums helped plant Swift on the “The Highest-Paid Entertainers 2022” report from Forbes.
She has since released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The latter sold over 1.6 million copies in its first week — surpassing the original and becoming Swift’s biggest debut total to date.
Swift has amassed an impressive fortune — and she knows how to spend it. Her real-estate portfolio is worth a reported $150 million.
It consists of eight properties in four different states.
In Nashville, she owns a 3,240-square-foot condo worth an estimated $3 million and a 5,600-square-foot Greek Revival estate worth an estimated $2.5 million.
The latter is the cheapest property she owns.
In LA, Swift owns a 10,982-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion worth nearly $30 million.
In 2017, she was trying to turn it into a historic landmark, according to Teen Vogue.
Across the coast, Swift owns an estate with seaside views in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, for which she reportedly paid $17.75 million.
With 12,000 square feet, it has plenty of room for parties and even inspired her song “The Last Great American Dynasty.”
But that’s nothing compared to the estimated $40 million worth of property Swift owns in New York City on the same block in Tribeca.
That includes an 8,309-square-foot duplex penthouse and a four-story townhouse.
She used to rent an apartment on Cornelia Street — the famous inspiration behind her “Lover” track “Cornelia Street” — which was listed in 2023 with a $17.9 million price tag.
Swift needs a way to travel among all these homes. She reportedly owns a Dassault private jet.
The Dassault 7X is registered to Island Jet Inc., a holding company listed under the same address as Taylor Swift Productions, Business Insider previously reported.
She used to have two private jets, but quietly sold one amid criticism of her carbon footprint. (“Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals,” a rep for Swift said in a statement. “To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.”)
There’s no word on how much she paid for these vehicles, but a brand new Dassault 900 has a list price of $44 million, according to Business Jet Traveler. Elon Musk owns a similar model that cost about $26 million.
Swift often spends money dining out with her friends and romantic partners, especially when in New York City.
In the past, she’s been spotted at The Fat Radish, The Spotted Pig, Sarabeth’s, L’Asso, Nobu, and Vita Carota.
But Swift has always been generous with her money, supporting causes and helping those in need.
On her 24th birthday, she donated $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony, according to People.
Swift pledged $4 million to the Country Music Hall of Fame to fund an education center.
Her commitment to education doesn’t stop with music; Swift also donated $50,000 to NYC public schools, People reported.
She has provided support during natural disasters, donating $1 million to the victims of Louisiana floods and $500,000 to Nashville flood relief.
Swift also raised $750,000 through a Speak Now Help Now benefit concert for victims of tornadoes in the southern US in 2011, according to People.
AdvertisementIn 2020, Swift gave $50,000 to a mother of five who lost her husband to COVID-19 days before Christmas.ade the donation, according to USA Today.
She also gifted $13,000 each to two moms who were also struggling financially because of the pandemic.
And then there are the two famous checks she wrote for $1,989 — an ode to her best-selling album — sent to two fans to pay a student loan and to donate to a dance marathon benefit.
The checks were sent out in 2014, according to People.
More recently, she has been donating to food banks across America that coincide with her Eras Tour route.
Throughout the first US leg of her Eras Tour, Swift habitually made large donations to local food pantries.
She has also been known to support LGBTQ+ organizations and victims of gun violence in recent years.
She also helps out her fellow pop stars. She gave Kesha $250,000 to help with legal fees during her lawsuit against Dr. Luke.
For several years, Kesha was embroiled in a defamation lawsuit after she accused the music producer Dr. Luke, her former mentor, of “unrelenting abuse” and rape. (They reached a settlement in 2023.)
The “Rainbow” singer revealed Swift’s donation during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2017.
Kesha described Swift as “a fucking sweetheart. Very, very sweet, very, very genuine, extremely generous, picks up the phone every time I call her. My mom doesn’t even always pick up the phone!”
Swift has proven herself to be incredibly savvy with investments.
In 2022, Swift pulled out of a $100 million sponsorship deal with Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX after she questioned the company if it was selling “unregistered securities.”
