Taylor Swift’s eye-watering new paycheck revealed

With a collection of award-winning singles, it's no surprise that your songs are streamed around the world, all day, every day. This has earned Taylor Swift the status of Spotify's highest earner over the last 12 months.

The 35-year-old gained over a staggering $103 million in royalties from the streaming platform. However, Taylor's music wasn't always available to listen to on the app. In 2014, the singer removed her music from Spotify due to a dispute over her pay. Taylor's albums only became available again from 2017. 

In a statement over her decision to cut ties with Spotify, the singer said: "It's my opinion music should not be free."

Following her inability to purchase the rights to her music, in August 2019 Taylor announced her plan to re-record all of her albums up to 2019's "Lover". The first album to be re-recorded was "Fearless", which was released on April 9, 2021. She has since released "Taylor's Version" of "Red", "Speak Now", and "1989".

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At the beginning of the year, Taylor's 2006 eponymous album and 2017 "Reputation" album were not available in the discography of her Spotify page. The removal sent the singer's fans into a frenzy as they speculated that she was re-recording them.  

According to Forbes, Taylor is worth an eye-watering $1.6 billion. The star has earned billionaire status, with her net worth having considerably risen thanks to her sell-out "Eras" Tour. The Lover hitmaker is the richest female musician in the world as she netted over $2 billion for 125 shows. This sum exceeded the largest tour gross to have ever been earned.  

Taylor's music catalog is valued at $600 million, and an additional $600 million in royalties. Her Eras Tour film has also raked in over $261 million at the box office since its October 2023 premier. 

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In 2015, The "1989" World Tour grossed over $250 million, and her "Reputation" Stadium Tour in 2018 generated $315 million.

As per Forbes, "her coveted on-site merchandise — which she sells at an average price of $80 — could add an estimated $87 million in proceeds to her fortune."

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However, Taylor forks out a staggering sum on security alone. In reports from 2024, it was claimed that during the Eras Tour, Taylor had 83 CPOs, four of whom were with her at all times, plus 140 individuals around the venues when needed.

Typical annual salaries for CPOs average around $150,000 which puts the annual cost for security at a jaw-dropping $12,450,000.