Taylor Swift performs during her Eras tour in Nashville, Tennesee, in May. Photo / AP
Taylor Swift is already the second-richest self-made woman in the music industry today.
The singer has surpassed both Madonna and Beyoncé in terms of net worth, according to a report from Forbes earlier this month - but her record-breaking Eras tour could soon boost her overall wealth by millions.
So, just how much is the pop star worth today, with Eras set to become the highest-grossing music tour of all time?
Forbes estimated her net worth to be around US$740 million (NZ$1.2 billion) on a list published at the beginning of June, but now as her Eras tour is well and truly underway, the outlet guesses her net worth has lifted to US$780m - nearly NZ$1.3b.
And that’s not just thanks to her huge album sales and royalties from songwriting - which have continued to rise since 2021 when she announced that she would re-record the masters for all her albums before 2019′s Lover to get the rights to her own music back from Scooter Braun.
The release of re-recorded Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) next week along with tour earnings could help push her overall net worth to around US$900m or nearly NZ$1.5b by next year.
Then there’s her real estate portfolio, her acting and directing credits, merch and brand deals - and of course, her newest world tour which is shattering records, hearts and ticketing sites around the world.
On Wednesday, Kiwis joined the countless Aussie Swifties queuing up for their chance to see Taylor live in a hectic presale which saw Ticketek face “unprecedented demand”.
It’s been reported that Taylor can net around US$9m (NZ$14m) to US$11m (NZ$17m) per show.
And according to Forbes, Swift has already made nearly US$110m (NZ$181m) from her Eras tour performances so far after paying promoter Messina Touring Group and the production costs of the shows.
Other expenses include paying her manager, agent and publicist. When those bills are paid, she’s made about US$30m (NZ$49m) from the shows so far.
Swift already has a record-breaking tour to her name - in 2018, her Reputation world tour became the highest-grossing tour in US history, netting US$345m ($567m).
Eras’ first 22 performances alone grossed more than US$300m (NZ$493m), making it the highest-grossing tour in North America and worldwide from November 17, 2022, to May 17, 2023. That’s according to reports released by Pollstar.
That makes it twice as big as the second top-grossing tour worldwide, by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Meanwhile, Harry Styles’ Love On Tour netted US$124m (NZ$204m) from 34 shows, making it the third highest-grossing act worldwide.
Pollstar estimates the tour could hit US$1.4b (NZ$2.3b) by the time it ends in August 2024.
It’s not known what the exact costs are to bring the Eras shows to life. Swift’s stage design alone has made global headlines with its transformations designed as a backdrop for each of her “eras” of music, including a forest, a dollhouse and a special-effects swimming pool.
An industry insider told the Herald last week that a potential lack of ticket sales could be the reason why she’s not coming to New Zealand, noting that “People [musicians] come here and they can’t financially make it work.
“How many shows does Taylor Swift have to sell before she starts covering her costs? How many crew is she travelling with? There are some shows on that scale that they have to sell out the first two before the promoter even starts making money.”
But due to the huge Australian demand, Swift has since added two more shows to her Aussie line-up.
General tickets for the remaining seats for her Melbourne and Sydney shows go on sale on Friday, June 30.
'Sometimes you can't plan unpredictability and fun, it has to just happen.'