How Did Taylor Swift Make Her Money?

While some of the world’s most popular musicians amass significant wealth, few of them cross the line to become billionaires.

Notably, those who have become billionaires did so by pursuing business interests outside of music. For example, Jay-Z built an enormous brand for himself as a rapper. Then, he turned his brand into a business empire that includes a diverse real estate portfolio, stocks, and the entertainment company Roc Nation.

Similarly, Taylor Swift has used her magnificent talent to engage millions of fans around the world. She has also partnered with businesses to earn money from her image. She isn’t a billionaire, but she’s only in her early 30s. She likely has decades ahead of her to continue engaging fans while growing her wealth.

Taylor Swift’s Net Worth

In 2022, Taylor Swift had a net worth of about $570 million.

Some experts tracking her career’s trajectory believe that she could add $500 million to that amount during her Eras Tour, which is scheduled to end in 2023. If her tour generates that much profit, she will become a billionaire. 

It almost seems inevitable that she will reach that lofty financial goal at some point, though. The hardworking, talented Swift knows how to manage her money and take advantage of lucrative opportunities.

How Taylor Swift Makes Her Money

Taylor Swift makes her money by selling music, performing in front of enormous crowds at concerts worldwide, partnering with brands to appear in commercials, and, most importantly, making smart business decisions.

She has diverse talents and an inquisitive mind that has helped her become more than a pop musician. She’s on her way to overseeing a business empire.

Taylor Swift’s Music Career

Swift became a professional songwriter when she was just 14 years old. While living with her family in Pennsylvania, she would frequently travel with her mother to Nashville, TN to display her talent as a country singer and songwriter. As Swift’s career grew, it made sense for the family to relocate to Tennessee.

Albums

Swift released her first album, simply named Taylor Swift, in 2006. At the time, she played straightforward country music that appealed to millions of listeners.

As her career grew, the teenage musician wanted to experiment with other sounds. She released Fearless in 2008. While still largely a country album, Fearless has some crossover hits that played on pop radio channels. It was practically impossible to escape songs like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” in the fall of 2008. The album went on to win an Album of the Year award at the Grammys.

Fearless has sold more than 11.9 million copies, making it her second-most successful album to date.

2010’s Speak Now album sold nearly 7 million records. This would look like an outstanding success for any other musician, but her 2014 album, 1989, sold about twice as many. With more than 14 million copies sold, it remains her most popular record.

Swift’s more recent albums, including Evermore, Folklore, Reputation, and Lover, have had comparatively modest sales.

Selling fewer albums in 2020, when she released Evermore and Folklore, doesn’t mean that Swift has lost clout in the music industry. Music streaming services have altered the business so radically that comparing recent sales to those from earlier in her life offers little insight.

In fact, her Eras tour is expected to bring in more than $500 million, making it one of the most successful tours in history. With millions of people buying tickets, it’s clear that Swift doesn’t need to worry about a decline in popularity.

Tours

Taylor Swift has had six world tours.

The Fearless Tour lasted from April 23, 2009 to July 10, 2020. During that tour, the young artist played 118 shows to more than 1.2 million fans. The Fearless Tour grossed about $66.5 million.

The Speak Now World Tour took Swift around the world to play 110 shows to about 1.64 million fans. It lasted from February 9, 2011 to March 18, 2012. The tour grossed about $123.7 million.

The Red Tour had 86 shows between March 13, 2013 and June 12, 2014. About 1.7 million people attended. It grossed $150.2 million.

The 1989 World Tour took Swift around the world from May 5, 2015 to December 12, 2005. She played 85 shows in front of 2.28 million people. It grossed about $250.7 million.

The Reputation Stadium Tour only lasted from May 8, 2018 to November 21, 2018, during which Swift played 53 shows in front of nearly 3 million people. Despite playing fewer shows, Swift grossed $345.7 million.

The Eras Tour promises to be Swift’s biggest earner. Some predict that the 60-show tour will bring in at least $500 million.

Streaming Royalties

It’s unclear how much money Taylor Swift earns from streaming royalties. What’s clear is that she – and many, many other artists – want more money from music streaming services.

In 2021, Swift began lobbying Spotify to pay her more money for streaming her songs and albums. Spotify reportedly pays $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, meaning a popular artist gets paid one penny for every two plays. Many musicians have pushed the company, which is worth more than $70 billion, to increase payouts to $0.01 per stream.

With Swift’s popularity, she probably pulls in a decent amount of money from streaming royalties. But that’s because millions of people play her songs daily. If Swift and other popular musicians pushing streaming services manage to increase rates, it will add to their wealth. More importantly, it will give less-popular musicians a better opportunity to earn the money they need to support themselves.

Brand Partnerships

You’ve seen Taylor Swift in countless commercials. She appears in TV ads so much because she works as a brand endorser. She’s built quite an impressive resume over the years.

Some of her most popular brand partnerships include appearing in ads for:

• CoverGirl, an American cosmetics company that hired her to promote its NatureLuxe line of products in 2010.
• Keds, a shoe brand that hired Swift for its “Brave Girls” campaign in 2013.
• Coca-Cola hired Swift to sing and play guitar in a 2013 commercial for Diet Coke.
• Capital One and Swift partnered to support the Eras Tour. Capital One cardholders got early access to presale tickets. Swift also sold an exclusive box set of her Midnights album to Capital One cardholders.
• AT&T signed Swift to a multi-year contract in 2016. Her work for the company involved performing music, appearing in ads, and interacting with customers.
• Walmart hired Swift and Justin Timberlake to perform at the company’s shareholder’s meeting. Timberlake interviewed Swift about what she liked about shopping at Walmart. The “interview” ended with Swift singing a song.
• Apple Music hired Swift to dance and lip-sync in a 2016 commercial. It was a big surprise because she had already started pushing streaming services, including Apple Music, to pay artists more.
• Xfinity and Swift have had a long working relationship that started in 2009. The first arrangement gave Xfinity customers exclusive access to music videos. In 2015, Xfinity aired exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Swift’s rehearsals for the 1989 World Tour.

The Partnership Swift Turned Down

It might seem like Taylor Swift will take any opportunity offered to her. While she certainly works a lot, she takes her time deciding which brands will make good partners.

For example, when FTX approached Swift about a partnership that would have paid her $100 million, she turned down the offer. This might sound crazy to most people, but Swift’s decision helped her avoid bad publicity and lawsuits when the crypto exchange went bankrupt and authorities arrested its CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried.

How did she avoid this calamity? She asked a company representative whether he could assure where that FTX wasn’t selling unregistered securities.

When she didn’t get the answer she needed, Swift walked away. She might have been the only celebrity with the business sense to ask pertinent questions that ended up protecting her brand.

Taylor Swift’s Other Ventures

Taylor Swift has dabbled in other areas of entertainment and business to generate additional income. In 2020, Netflix released a documentary called Miss Americana that offered behind-stage and on-stage footage from Swift’s concerts. It also included intimate interviews with the pop icon. Many were surprised by how much of her personal life she revealed in the film.

After recording her Folklore and Evermore albums, Swift partnered with Stella McCartney to make her sustainable clothing she could wear during promotions. She wore the clothes on several magazine covers, including Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone. The women have since collaborated on other fashion projects.

Taylor Swift has partnered with fragrance designers to create signature scents. Many of her popular scents are named after her songs, including Incredible Things, Lover, and Enchanted by Wonderstruck.

Conclusion

Taylor Swift might be one of the smartest entertainers touring the world right now. Her approach to business has helped her earn millions. In the near future, it could help her become a billionaire.

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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Financhill has a disclosure policy. This post may contain affiliate links or links from our sponsors.