Taylor Swift has overtaken Rihanna as the richest female musician in the world. According to Forbes' update on October 7, 2024, Swift's net worth has reached $1.6 billion, surpassing Rihanna's $1.4 billion.
Reportedly, this increase from Taylor Swift's previous net worth of $1.1 billion in October 2023 was allegedly due to the success of her Eras Tour, which generated over $2 billion.
The tour, which started in March 2023 will conclude this December. The success propelled her to billionaire status for the first time in October 2023.
Forbes estimates her earnings at $600 million from touring and royalties alone. Additionally, Swift’s music catalog is valued at $600 million which is reportedly higher than Bruce Springsteen’s, which sold to Sony Music for $550 million in 2021, but below Queen's catalog, which Sony acquired for $1.2 billion earlier this year.
In contrast, most of Swift's wealthiest musical counterparts have built their fortunes through profitable side ventures and partnerships. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand has a value of approximately $2.8 billion.
In addition, she holds a 28% stake in her Savage x Fenty lingerie line. The singer has also been securing endorsement deals, with her most recent being the new face of Dior's J’Adore Fragrance.
Rihanna has not released a studio album since 2016’s Anti. Meanwhile, during her break from the Eras Tour which shall resume on October 18, 2024, in Miami, Taylor Swift has been showcasing her political influence. In September 2024 she endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
Taylor Swift’s real estate worth is estimated at $125 million
Part of the reason for Taylor Swift's immense wealth includes her real estate holdings estimated at $125 million. Her financial success grew even further over the past year as her three-hour show traveled to 21 cities across Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Reportedly, in Tokyo, her four-night performance brought an estimated $228 million into the local economy. In Sydney, she earned around $43.3 million just from merchandise sales.
Swift tied with Spanx founder Sara Blakely for the 24th spot on America's Self-Made Women list and ranked 25th on the Highest-Paid Entertainers list. She is ranked 2,545th on the global billionaires list.
During an interview with Apple Music in 2019, the singer discussed her life and career where she said the only thing she read was political news. Taylor Swift's song Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince is about politics. While talking about the state of music producers, she said,
“Like nowadays some producers will not produce something they didn’t have to co-write on. We really haven’t figured out a way to compensate the creators and that’s something that I am always gonna be very vocal about until I feel like it’s fixed.”
Taylor Swift’s 2022 studio album Midnights became a top-selling album of the year in just one day of sales. It even broke Spotify records for most streams in a day. The album was her first directly autobiographical album in a while.