ENTERTAINMENT
Why does Joe Alwyn receive money for Taylor Swift songs and how much has he earned?
Although acting is his day job, Joe Alwyn turned his hand to songwriting during his relationship with ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn ended their relationship a little over a year ago, but their time together remains profitable. While Alwyn is best known as an actor, the 33-year-old also earning cheques from a successful musical collaboration with his ex-partner.
During his six-year relationship with Swift, Alwyn co-wrote six of the singer’s tracks, under the pseudonym William Bowery.
Which Taylor Swift songs did Joe Alwyn co-write?
Alwyn has writing credits for the following songs: “Exile” and “Betty” on Swift’s 2020 album Folklore; “Champagne Problems”, “Coney Island” and “Evermore” on the album Evermore, also brought out in 2020; and “Sweet Nothing” on the 2022 record Midnights.
Given that Alwyn is registered as a co-writer, the Conversations with Friends star receives royalty payments.
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How much money has Alwyn made from Swift songs?
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Alwyn earns a five-figure sum each year for his contributions to Swift’s discography. In total, an analysis by Life & Style claims, he has pocketed around $2.3 million just from Spotify streams of the songs he co-wrote.
“Fair or not, it’s made him a very rich guy,” a source told Life & Style. “Joe is making so much on royalties and returns from [Swift’s] Eras tour that he doesn’t ever need to worry about money again.”
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Alwyn’s a Grammy winner, too
In addition to significantly boosting his bank balance, Alwyn’s involvement in the creation of Swift tracks also means he has a Grammy award to his name. At the 2021 Grammys, Folklore scooped Album of the Year - one of a record four occasions that a record released by Swift has claimed the accolade.
Although Alwyn features as writer on Midnights, which earned Album of the Year honours at February’s Grammys, a recent rule change by the awards’ organisers prevented him from receiving a second gong in the category. As of June 2023, artists who collaborated on an album must be credited with at least 20% of the record’s running time to qualify for Album of the Year recognition.