At just 27-years-old, Taylor Swift is on top of the music industry and the world. Her “1989 World Tour” was the hottest ticket of 2015, completing her transition from country pop star to bonafide superstar complete. Swift has become a chart topper who also tops lists of highest-paid celebrities. In fact, according Forbes released their annual list of highest paid celebrities, she and new boyfriend Calvin Harris took the top spot as the highest paid couple of the past year with a whopping $146 million. But how much is Taylor Swift worth?
According to Forbes, Taylor Swift’s net worth places her just short of the $250 million minimum needed to claim a spot on the list of America’s 50 Richest Self-Made Women.
Taylor Swift Net Worth as of 2019: $280 Million
So how did T. Swift amass such a major fortune in just a decade? Let’s break down how Taylor Swift came to be worth so much money.
2006
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October 24, 2006: Taylor Swift’s debut studio album, Taylor Swift, is released. Swift promoted her album by performing at several venues, which included her opening for Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Brad Paisley, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. In the United States, it topped the Top Country Albums Chart for 24 non-consecutive weeks, and was certified five times platinum.
2007
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October 14, 2007: Taylor Swift’s first EP, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, is released.
2008
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July 15, 2008: Taylor Swift’s second EP, Beautiful Eyes, is released. Swift went on her first headlining tour in support of Fearless, playing shows in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The tour was attended by more than 1.1 million fans and grossed over $63 million.
2009
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Swift became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when “You Belong with Me” was named Best Female Video in 2009. Her acceptance speech was famously interrupted by rapper Kanye West.
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2010
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October 25, 2010: Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now. She wrote all 14 songs alone, and her work was praised by critics and fans. Speak Now was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its opening sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the 16th album in U.S. history to sell one million copies in a single week.
Swift won four Grammy Awards in 2010, from a total of eight nominations. Fearless was named Album of the Year and Best Country Album, while “White Horse” was named Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She was the youngest ever artist to win Album of the Year.
2011
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October 11, 2011: Journey To Fearless, a live concert DVD, is released.
November 21, 2011: Taylor Swift’s first live album, Speak Now World Tour Live, is released.
Swift toured throughout 2011 in support of Speak Now, where over 1.6 million fans attended and over $123 million was grossed. Swift’s first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, was released in November 2011.
2012
October 22, 2012: Swift’s fourth studio album, Red, was released in October 2012. The album’s lead single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” became Swift’s first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. That song and “I Knew You Were Trouble” were both international hits. Red debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.21 million copies.
As part of The Red Tour, Swift played 86 dates in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Asia. The tour was attended by over 1.7 million fans and grossed over $150 million.
2014
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October 27, 2014: Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989, was released. Swift described 1989 as her first “official” pop release and parted ways with some members of her longtime band. 1989 sold 1,287,000 copies in the U.S. during the first week of release, selling more copies in its opening week than any album in the previous 12 years. This has made Swift the first and only act to have three albums sell more than one million copies in the opening release week. It later became the best-selling album of 2014, selling 3.66 million copies. As of February 2015, 1989 had sold over 8.6 million copies worldwide
As part of The 1989 World Tour, running from May to December 2015, Swift is scheduled to perform in Japan, the U.S., Canada, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia.
2015
June 21, 2015, Swift criticized Apple Music, the music streaming service by Apple Inc., for not offering royalties to artists during the streaming service’s free three-month trial period. A day later, Eddy Cue announced on Twitter that Apple was changing its policy, and will pay artists even during the free trial period.
As part of The 1989 World Tour, running from May to December 2015, Swift is scheduled to perform in Japan, the U.S., Canada, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.
2016 – 2017
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Though 2016 saw some personal fumbles and drama from Taylor Swift, her net worth did not take a hit. Swift, according to Fores, added an extra $170 million to her net worth by July 2016.
Swift began the year as one of half of the richest couple in music, her boyfriend being the DJ Calvin Harris. After their split, Swift still held her own and is rumored to be releasing highly-anticipated new music later in the year, which will surely only help her continue to gain wealth.
Billboard estimates Taylor Swift sells $17 of merchandise per ticket at her shows, helping bring in an additional eight figures per year. Over the years, Taylor has been the face of many brands in high-profile endorsement deals. She currently represents for Keds, Elizabeth Arden, and Diet Coke. While the details of these agreements have never been made public, they’re likely worth tens of millions collectively.
Not even a decade in the spotlight, a legitimate argument could be made that Taylor Swift is the biggest star in the entire world. With her popularity growing by the year, if the trend continues Swift’s net worth will easily clear to $500 million within the next few years.
2018
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With lots of seats still, empty Tailor Swift’s 2018 Reputation tour spreads a smell of a disaster.
2019
Taylor Swift has announced to shut down her social media app The Swift Life completely from February 1, 2019.
