This statement might feel like bad blood for the Taylor Swift fans, but it is not. But despite everything, Taylor Swift is not yet a billionaire.
Contrary to what Bloomberg published on October 26 at around 8 pm PST, Swift is not in the elite group status. This is according to a publication on Celebritynetworth.com
Bloomberg had previously published a calculation of Taylor’s wealth, declaring her net worth to be $1.1 billion.
Experts say that the Bloomberg article was not well-researched and had minimal net worth justification. The article focused on generalities like the economic effect of The Eras tour on the cities it visited, the recent history of music catalog deals, and Taylor’s infamous split with her ex-record label that pushed her to re-record all of her songs.
The article claimed Taylor Swift’s net worth is now $1.1 billion according to:
“The estimated value of her music catalog and five homes, and earnings from streaming deals, music sales, concert tickets and merchandise.”
Particularly, Bloomberg’s $1.1 billion estimate is the sum of:
- $400 million – Estimated value of her catalog
- $370 million – Ticket sales and merchandise
- $120 million – Spotify & YouTube earnings
- $110 million – Real estate
- $80 million – Royalties away from streaming
Nonetheless, the big issue with the publication and others from Forbes is that they seem to look like a publicity-friendly puff piece designed on a small morsel of justification backed by thousands of flattery filler words.
The Aim Of These Articles
These articles seem to have been written with a specific goal in mind: “What if we declared Taylor Swift a billionaire?” Bloomberg then uses its financial muscle to gather several ‘industry experts’ who create a neat justification of the goal in mind. They hit publish and print money from the many pageviews that follow.
Another strange aspect is that these articles seem to drop at a convenient time. For instance, it is now the peak of Taylor-mania. Her North American tour is done and dusted. Her recently-released movie is a smash. She is on TV every Sunday supporting her hot new NFL boyfriend. Then, Bloomberg published their billionaire-crowning article a few hours before the much-expected release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, which is the re-recorded version of her most famous album.
It seems not to be a coincidence. It was a little orchestrated.
On the other hand, Forbes seems to work with the subject’s PR team before publishing these ‘too good’ celebrity headlines. Notably, Forbes declares someone the highest-paid or a billionaire, always moments before a big movie or product launch. As if their articles are part of a coordinated PR campaign. After the publication, the celebrity in question posts links to these articles on social media acting all pleasantly surprised.
Speaking about Forbes, they also estimate that by the end of Taylor Swift’s tour, she could become a billionaire:
“[The] Eras could eventually hit a record-breaking $1.4 billion when it ends in August 2024. That, along with earnings from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), a re-record of her 2010 album that drops next week, could push the singer’s net worth to around $900 million next year.”
On June 26, 2023, Forbes estimated that Taylor Swift’s net worth was $780 million.
October 26 at 8 pm PST: Bloomberg published its Taylor billionaire article. Can you guess what Forbes did the next morning?
October 27 at 10:43 am PST: Forbes published an article titled…
“Taylor Swift’s New Era: The Pop Star Becomes A Billionaire”
They never mentioned Bloomberg, but with their ‘industry experts’ somehow Forbes reached the same net worth number. What a declaration!
“According to Forbes estimates, she is worth more than $1.1 billion, up from $360 million from June…”
But just like Bloomberg, Forbes cannot account accordingly for the number they published. It is paint-by-numbers content.
Ultimately, in late June, Forbes reported that Taylor Swift, having earned $30 million from the first half of her North American tour, was valued at $780 million. They predicted her net worth would reach $900 million by late 2024 when the entire tour concluded.
On October 26, Bloomberg officially declared Taylor Swift a billionaire. Within 14 hours, Forbes followed suit, stating unequivocally, “TAYLOR SWIFT IS NOW A BILLIONAIRE,” marking her achievement at that moment rather than waiting until the tour’s conclusion.
Without any concrete numbers supporting the claims of Taylor Swift being a billionaire, more research needs to be done to determine her real net worth, which for now, is not close to the billionaire status published by Bloomberg and Forbes.