American singer Taylor Swift became the richest female billionaire with a fortune of 1.6 billion USD, thanks only to music.
According to Forbes on October 7, revenue from The Eras Tour helped Taylor Swift surpass Rihanna – the previous richest female singer in the world with 1.4 billion USD.
Taylor Swift (left) and Rihanna – two female singers who are both billionaires in the American music industry. Photo: Reuters/ AP
The news agency said that the majority of Swift’s income comes from song royalties and music stages. In October 2023, she entered the ranks of the world’s billionaires with $1.1 billion thanks to the profits of her concert series. Her estimated assets include $600 million in ticket and music royalties, $600 million from the project to re-record old songs Taylor Swift’s Version (2021) and $125 million in real estate.
Taylor Swift at the Polish leg of “The Eras Tour” concert in early August. Photo: TAS Rights Management
With $1.6 billion, Taylor Swift holds the 2,117th position on Forbes ‘ list of the world’s billionaires . Rihanna ranks 2,336. While Swift makes most of her money from music, most of Rihanna’s profits come from the success of her cosmetics line Fenty Beauty and lingerie brand Savage x Fenty.
In addition to Rihanna, the female artists behind Taylor Swift include Madonna ($850 million), Beyoncé ($760 million), Celine Dion ($550 million), Barbra Streisand ($460 million) and Dolly Parton ($450 million). Swift also ranked second in the list of the world’s richest singers and musicians, behind rapper Jay-Z with $2.5 billion.
Taylor Swift , 35, is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame with her country music in 2006. After 11 albums, Swift has won 14 Grammy Awards, 29 Billboard Awards, and 30 VMAs. In 2023, she was named Time ‘s ” Person of the Year .” She is dating football player Travis Kelce, 35.
The Eras Tour is Taylor Swift’s high-profile tour, taking place on multiple continents. In December 2023, Guinness recognized her The Eras Tour as the highest-grossing concert series of all time, reaching over $1 billion, surpassing Elton John’s record of $939 million. According to the Washington Post , Taylor Swift collects about 85% of total ticket sales – a high and rare rate in the music industry. The remaining 15% is paid to promoters. This is a common profit-sharing ratio between top artists and promoters when organizing concerts.
She is currently resting after finishing her European tour at the end of August, preparing to restart her shows in North America from October 18 to December 8.
Rihanna , 36, is a singer and entrepreneur of Barbadian origin. During her music career, she has won nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards and holds six Guinness World Records. Her hits include Umbrella , Diamonds , Only Girl , Bitch Better Have My Money . In July 2022, Forbes announced Rihanna as the youngest self-made billionaire in the US. She has two sons with her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky.
