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While other female artists, including Madonna and Beyoncé, rank just outside the billion dollar club, Taylor Swift has overtaken singer and beauty mogul Rihanna as the world’s leading performer, following the huge success of her Elas tour. She became the richest female musician.
Swift’s Elas Tour propelled her to billionaire status last year. (Photo credit: Dimitrios … (+)
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important facts
Forbes magazine estimates that Swift is now worth $1.6 billion, an increase of $500 million from last October, when it reported that Swift had become a billionaire with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion at the time.
Right behind Swift is Rihanna ($1.4 billion), with much of her wealth coming not from her music catalog but from her stakes in the companies Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty.
Madonna is one of the world’s top touring artists with total revenue of more than $1.6 billion from all of her concert tours, but with an estimated net worth of $850 million as of May, she’s just shy of billionaire status.
Beyoncé’s net worth was estimated at $760 million as of May, but her value rose further after she earned around $100 million from last year’s Renaissance World Tour.
Canadian star Celine Dion is worth an estimated $550 million, much of which comes from her successful concert residency in Las Vegas.
EGOT Award-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand published a nearly 1,000-page memoir last year that is worth an estimated $460 million.
Country superstar Dolly Parton is worth $450 million, Forbes magazine estimated in May, much of which comes from her stake in Tennessee’s Dollywood family theme park. It comes from her music catalog worth an estimated $150 million.
Katy Perry, whose music catalog reportedly sold for $225 million in 2023 and who earned an estimated $300 million per season as a judge on American Idol, Worth $50 million.
How did Swift build her wealth?
Swift, 34, will become the first musician to become a billionaire based solely on the value of her songs and performances in 2023. Forbes magazine estimates that her music catalog is worth $600 million, with an additional $600 million earned from tours and royalties. She also owns real estate worth an estimated $125 million. Her rise to millionaire status is largely due to her ongoing Elas Tour, which begins in March 2023 and is scheduled to end in December. Last year, Forbes estimated that she earned $190 million from the first leg of the Elas Tour alone. Pollstar reported in December that the Elas Tour was the first concert tour in history to gross more than $1 billion.
How did Rihanna build her wealth?
Rihanna, 36, became a billionaire in 2021, Forbes estimated, largely due to the value of her stake in Fenty Beauty, the cosmetics company she launched in 2017. She owns 50% of the company’s stock and an estimated 28%. Invested in lingerie brand Savage X Fenty. Both companies are named after the singer, whose real name is Robin Fenty. She launched her latest beauty line, Fenty Hair, in June. Forbes magazine ranked Rihanna as the 74th most powerful woman in the world in 2023. The rest of her wealth comes from her music catalog — she has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, third most by any artist after The Beatles and The Beatles. be. Mariah Carey. She performed in the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023, taking a short break from her multi-year hiatus from music. She hasn’t released an album since 2016’s Anti.
Who are the other musicians who have entered the ranks of billionaires?
Jay-Z is the richest musician on Forbes’ list of richest people, with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. He is the first rapper to be ranked in this rank. His wealth mainly comes from the liquor business. In 2021, he sold a 50% stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to French luxury goods company LVMH for at least $300 million, and sold a majority stake in his cognac brand Dusse to the company. . Forbes ranked Jay-Z the world’s fifth-richest celebrity in April. Forbes reported that Bruce Springsteen became a billionaire in June with an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. The New Jersey legend has made much of his wealth from his music catalog, which he sold to Sony for $500 million in 2021. Outside of music, Kim Kardashian ($1.7 billion) and Oprah Winfrey ($3 billion) both rank ahead of Swift and Rihanna as the richest female celebrities in the world.
tangent
As Swift’s wealth and fame grew, so did her reputation as one of the most powerful people in the world. Forbes magazine ranks her as the fifth most powerful woman in the world in 2023, citing the impact her Elas Tour has had on local and regional economies, and ranks her as the highest-ranking entertainer. and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the world’s most influential political and business leaders. the dedication of her fan base, known as the Swifties; Swift was also named Time Person of the Year in 2023 and is considered an influential figure in politics. Her endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris is said to have caused a spike in traffic to the voter registration website vote.gov.
Read more
2024 World Celebrity Richest Ranking (Forbes)
Taylor Swift officially joins Forbes Billionaires list as one of 14 celebrity billionaires (Forbes)
Fenty’s fortune: Rihanna officially becomes a billionaire (Forbes)
