Taylor Swift is now the world's richest female musician — there's one key difference between her wealth and Rihanna's
Getty Images
- Taylor Swift has topped Forbes' list of the wealthiest female musicians.
- Swift's estimated $1.6 bn net worth comes mainly from music sales and performances.
- Other artists like Rihanna and Jay-Z have made most of their money through lucrative side ventures.
Taylor Swift has topped the ranking of the world's wealthiest female musicians, according to Forbes, which as of Tuesday estimated her net worth at $1.6 billion.
That sees her overtake Rihanna, estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $1.4 billion.
But while Rihanna has primarily built her wealth through her wildly successful Fenty beauty brand, Swift is the first musician to become a billionaire largely off the back of her music sales and performing career, Forbes noted.
(Jay-Z, the musician with the highest net worth on Forbes' ranking, got at least half of his estimated $2.5 billion net worth through his liquor business, per Forbes.)
Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images
Swift has long been one of the world's highest-paid entertainers, a list that, as of 2023, included Brad Pitt, The Rolling Stones, and James Cameron.
But Swift first broke the billionaire barrier last fall due to the overwhelming success of her Eras tour, which was in such demand worldwide that Ticketmaster struggled to cope.
The tour became the first in history to gross over $1 billion from ticket sales, with 4.35 million tickets sold as of last December — not to mention around $200 million in merch sales, the Associated Press reported.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/TAS24/Getty Images
Other sources of income for Swift include half the box office from the movie version of the tour, as well as selling the streaming rights to Disney for a reported $75 million.
Like many celebrities, Swift has taken up brand partnerships and endorsement deals — including with Capital One, Stella McCartney, and Apple — but the bulk of her money still comes from touring and music sales.
Long before the heady days of her blockbuster Eras tour, Swift had earned $250 million in 2015 from her 1989 World Tour — the highest-grossing artist's tour of that year, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time, citing trade publication Pollstar.
There's another thing about Swift's massive wealth — compared to many other celebrities, she tends not to talk about it.
While Kylie Jenner featured on the cover of Forbes when she became a billionaire, Swift has shied away from signposting things like box office numbers and the value of her back catalog.
And in terms of personal style, she has embraced the "quiet luxury" trend.
Experts have told Business Insider that Swift is likely to be keen to maintain the relatable air that is key to her musical style and devoted fan base.