One of the biggest stars on the planet, Taylor Swift has just taken herself to an entirely new level this week, with Billboard magazine ranking the 24-year-old country singer on top of its annual Money Makers List. Swift showed that she’s as dynamic as they come, she earned an enormous paycheck in the past 12 months, depositing a near $40 million into her bank account, proving that she’s still the belle of the ball when it comes to celebrity popularity through music and endorsements.
With her 2012 album “Red” placing her eighth on the Money Makers list—which also included 10 million digital downloads which ranked her sixth in that category—Taylor was easily tops in the country music category. But what really separated her from the pack was the fact that she just loves to perform, packing every arena she hit during a six-month tour that saw her rake in an estimated $30 million in revenue—which is a more than solid year for a musician in just sales alone.
When you add in her sponsorship agreements that she has with Keds, Elizabeth Arden, Diet Coke and CoverGirl, there’s no denying the power of Swift. This unsurprisingly isn’t the first time that the entertainer has topped the Money Makers list, as she found herself perched about everyone else just two years ago when she brought in an estimate $35 million, relying heavily on her touring prowess.
With personality, a hit album, companies knocking on her door and all the talent in the world, there’s no telling just how many more times Taylor Swift will find herself No. 1 on this list over the next few years. But if she keeps producing at the rate that she is, I’d hedge a bet that she’ll find herself with plenty of dollars pouring in and plenty of people seeing the talent that she has—in all forms of entertainment.
Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012
