Taylor Swift is no stranger to success.

She’s been on the scene since she was 14 years old, and more than the combined total population of Australia, New Zealand and the UK listen to Taylor on just Spotify and Apple alone. Every. Single. Day.

The popstar is breaking records left, right and centre. The Eras tour is officially the top-grossing tour ever, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down, having just announced her eleventh studio album.

Even her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce, is reaping the rewards of her success. Less than 24 hours after Taylor was first spotted at a Kansas City Chiefs’ game to cheer on her new beau, sales of Kelce’s jersey exploded by 400%. The buzz around this year’s Super Bowl reached international frenzy, in part due to Swift’s sheer presence at the game.

She’s bringing a younger, female audience to the sport, whilst welcoming fans of all ages to her concerts. Dads are Swifties too, you know.

Follow us as we take an in-depth look at the numbers behind Swift’s success.

Swift officially became a billionaire in October 2023, according to a Bloomberg report, which estimates her current wealth at around $1.1 billion.

Her fortune includes over $400 million in royalties and touring, in addition to a music catalogue worth roughly the same. Throw in $110 million in real estate and you’ve got one hell of a success story.

Her decision to re-record her first six albums makes her the owner of her masters, which ultimately means that she answers to nobody.

It seems like every day is Swiftmas, with surprises and hits that keep on giving for both the artist and her fans. Given her announcement of a new album at this year’s Grammy Awards, it’s likely that these numbers will just keep on booming.

To the untrained eye, Taylor’s Easter eggs might seem invisible, but to a Swiftie, they’re as clear as daylight. Swift’s songs – or “diary entries” as referred to by the star – are a true insight into the inner workings of her mind.

Global superstar or not, it’s the art of writing that Swift reveres most.

The Eras Tour truly is the highest-grossing tour of all time and sold over 2.4 million tickets at launch – the most ever sold in a single day, according to Ticketmaster.

Total gross revenue currently sits at $1.03bn, but is widely estimated to hit $4.1bn for 151 shows.

It’s worth noting that in second place on the list is Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which grossed at a total of $939m across 330 shows.

Assuming she pays tour expenses of around 20 per cent, Swift could net up to $4.1bn. This breaks down to about $27m per 3-hour show, which is $150,000/minute, or $2500/second!

This excludes any additional revenue streams, including merchandise and the very lucrative Eras Tour movie.

And it’s not just Taylor who stands to gain from this windfall; local economies are reporting profit surges around her visits. Hotels, restaurants, retailers, hairdressers, nail salons, friendship-bracelet-makers, the list goes on.

Swift’s concerts in Sydney and Melbourne are expected to inject more than $140m into the economy, with over $60m in merchandise sales alone.

Nearly 600,000 people are expected to attend the concerts over seven shows, spending an average of $284 each.

Air New Zealand reported such a surge in bookings around the “Eras” concerts that they added 14 extra flights, some even bearing the code NZ1989 in honour of Swift’s fifth album.

In the US, it was the “Eras” shows, not gambling, that caused the highest post-pandemic tourism spending in Las Vegas.

The California Center for Jobs and the Economy claims Taylor’s six-day stint in Los Angeles generated enough revenue to fund 3,300 new jobs. And in Philadelphia, May’s shows saw the Federal Reserve Bank record its strongest month for hotel revenue in the city since the onset of the pandemic.

The Eras Tour has smashed even Taylor’s own records. When you look at her 2018 Reputation Tour, the average resale price for a ticket was $191. According to SeatGeek, the average “Eras” ticket is now selling for $1,607 – a 741 per cent increase from four years ago.

So what happened?

All of this would not be possible without Taylor’s loyal followers. With every friendship bracelet sold, every ticket scanned and every stream counted, Swifties are not just supporting an artist; they’re investing in a movement that transcends the traditional metrics of success.

During the onset of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, while most of us were getting to grips with a new way of life, or lazing in bed scrolling through TikTok, Taylor was recording two new albums.

Folklore and evermore launched a new era for Swift and Swifties alike, with a more mature and soulful style to her music. Her song “cardigan” has already been streamed over 1 billion times, despite only having been released four years ago.

She was the top-streamed artist on Spotify and Apple Music in 2023, and wears the crown for Apple’s most-streamed artist ever.

She sits behind Drake as Spotify’s top-streamed artist, but is the platform’s leading woman and was the first female recording artist to reach 100 million followers.

In the charts, Taylor reigns supreme. With her 2022 album Midnights, she became the first artist to sit in all 10 top spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 in a single week.

Earlier this year, she smashed an even bigger record. Across her 13 original albums and re-recordings that have topped the charts, Swift has spent 68 cumulative weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200. This marks the most for any solo artist and surpassed Elvis Presley’s original record.

Only The Beatles now stand in her way, who amassed 132 weeks across 19 albums.

Red represents love in all its forms, from fiery passion to burning loss. Blue paints a sea of emotions in tales of longing to melancholy tunes of loss.

See all the colours that Taylor features in her songs by tapping on the sections below. It’s not all black and white: some might surprise you.

Taylor Swift is a true force to be reckoned with; remember that she literally causes earthquakes!

Her strong will and strategic moves in reclaiming her music has set a gold standard for artists’ rights and revenue streams, her Midas touch is glistening brighter than ever and Swifties are only growing in numbers.

From her humble beginnings to the expansive empire she’s built, Swift’s journey is a testament to her dedication to both artistry and industry.

Just as Swifties hang on to her every lyric, the music industry watches her every move and economists examine her business decisions.

When it comes to success, Taylor Swift doesn’t just climb the ladder; she builds her own, rung by rung, with platinum records, fearless decisions and ascends it in sequin boots.