Taylor Swift has topped Billboard‘s highest-paid musicians of 2020 list.
Following a year with a lack of live shows due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 31-year-old superstar singer returned to the US Money Makers list with an estimated $23.8 million, but it is a decrease from the $99.6 million when she was last on the list in 2018.
As of 2021, Taylor has a rumored net worth of $400 million thanks to her hit songwriting skills and sold-out world tours over the years.
Wildest Dreams! Taylor Swift tops Billboard’s highest-paid musicians of 2020 list with a staggering $23.8 MILLION despite no touring revenue amid the pandemic
However, Taylor’s latest paycheck comes despite the Fearless hitmaker not making anything from concert revenue due to the global health crisis.
It’s the first time in the history of Money Makers that touring incoming hasn’t contributed to a top spot.
For her place at the summit, Billboard estimates Taylor made $10.6 million from streaming, $10 million from sales and $3.2 million from publishing.
She narrowly pipped Post Malone to first spot by $600,000, after he is said to have raked in $23.2 million.
That was largely down to his $12.4 million from touring, after he managed to sneak in some shows – including a sold-out gig in Denver on March 12th 2020 – before the world shut down as a result of coronavirus.
The 26-year-old rapper is also said to have made $8.1 million from streaming.
As fans were forced to stay at home for much of 2020, royalties for artist streaming increased by 82 per cent last year compared to the Money Makers 2019 list, from $106 million to $193 million.
Celine Dion’s $17 million touring income played a huge part in her making it to third on the list with $17.5 million, and Eagles’ $11.4 million touring revenue also had a big hand in their fourth place with $16.3 million.
Rounding off the top five, Billie Eilish was up there with $14.7 million after streaming and publishing earned her $5.9 million and $5.7 million respectively.
Other stars who made up the top 10 include Drake, who, like Taylor, received nothing from ticket sales but still banked a healthy $14.2 million, and Queen didn’t rely on any concert venue for their $13.2 million.
Nor did The Beatles, unsurprisingly, but the Fab Four still managed to rake in $12.9 million, largely thanks to $5.2 million from sales and $5.1 million from streaming, proving Beatlemania is very much alive and well.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again ($11.9 million) and Lil Baby ($11.7 million) complete the top 10, while The Weeknd just missed out in 11th with $10.4 million.
Raking it in: Despite not touring amid the pandemic, Taylor still brought in a hefty paycheck from her music (pictured above, her recent rerecording of her hit album Fearless)
AC/DC ($10.1 million), Eminem ($9.7 million), and Metallica (£9 million) were among those in the top 20.
Meanwhile, it was revealed yesterday that Taylor will not be submitting ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ for contention at the Grammy and CMA Awards.
The singer has already won four Grammys for the original recording of 2008’s Fearless and several CMA Awards, and despite the new release containing six new tracks, Taylor has decided not to submit the LP for any prizes at the major ceremonies.
Pretty penny: Rapper Post Malone is said to have made $23.2 million, and did manage to get out and tour
A statement issued to Billboard from Republic Records read: ‘After careful consideration, Taylor Swift will not be submitting Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in any category at this year’s upcoming Grammy and CMA Awards.
‘Fearless has already won four Grammys including album of the year, as well as the CMA Award for album of the year in 2009/2010 and remains the most awarded country album of all time.’
However, the Shake It Off hitmaker will be entering her 2020 LP Evermore in all categories at the Grammys.
Silly money: Teen sensation made a reported $14.7 million last year
Its sister record, folklore, scooped Album of the Year at 2021 Grammys in March.
Taylor decided to re-record her early albums, including Fearless, after Scooter Braun purchased her former record label, Big Machine Label Group, for $300 million, and with it acquired the rights to her back catalogue.
And Scooter’s Ithaca Holdings sold the catalogue to Shamrock Holdings.
After the purchase, Taylor claimed she was never offered the chance to buy her own master recordings.
On her plans to re-record her records, she said: ‘It’s going to be fun, because it’ll feel like regaining a freedom and taking back what’s mine.
‘When I created [these songs], I didn’t know what they would grow up to be. Going back in and knowing that it meant something to people is actually a really beautiful way to celebrate what the fans have done for my music.’