billboard tour revenue

These Are the 15 Highest Grossing Tours Ever

For those familiar with the landscape of the music business , you are likely familiar with the notion that touring is the biggest money-maker for artists, especially those signed to major labels. Well, it's true. Today, we'll be covering the highest grossing tours in the history of music.

RELATED: The Best Concert Merch from Recent History

While this list is sure to change in the future, as of right now, these are currently the fifteen highest grossing tours ever. You might not guess who found their way to the number one spot.

15. Bruno Mars - 24K Magic World Tour

Tour Profit: $367.7M

Years Active: 2017 - 2018

Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour had a very impressive run in the late 2010's. It boasted over three million attendees total, and averaged over $1.8M in gross revenue per show. Anderson .Paak opened for his future Silk Sonic partner on the European leg of this world tour.

14. U2 - Vertigo Tour

Tour Profit: $389M

Years Active: 2005 - 2006

U2's Vertigo Tour was built out to further push their album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb , and it succeeded, to say the least. The legendary Irish band averaged nearly three million dollars per show across 131 appearances.

13. U2 - The Joshua Tree Tours

Tour Profit: $390.7M

Years Active: 2017, 2019

Next up on our list is U2's The Joshua Tree Tours, which ran in 2017 and 2019, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree . They averaged almost $6M in gross revenue per show across 66 shows, not to mention over three million total attendees.

12. Pink - Beautiful Trauma World Tour

Tour Profit: $397.3M

Years Active: 2018 - 2019

The Beautiful Trauma World Tour was Pink's seventh tour, which was in support of her seventh studio album, Beautiful Trauma . Across 155 shows, Pink averaged $2.5M per show in front of three million total fans.

11. Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour

Tour Profit: $411M

Years Active: 2008 - 2009

In 2008 and 2009, Madonna toured the world with her Sticky & Sweet Tour. This was her 11th time leading a tour, which promoted her 8th studio album, Hard Candy . In 85 shows, Madonna averaged almost $5M per show in gross revenue and played in front of 3.5 million total fans.

10. Metallica - WorldWired Tour

Tour Profit: $416.9M

Years Active: 2016 - 2019

Metallica's WorldWired Tour ran for three years from 2016-2019, and put up some impressive numbers: 128 shows, over $3M per show on average, and over 4,000,000t total attendance.

9. AC/DC - Black Ice World Tour

Tour Profit: $441.1

Years Active: 2008 - 2010

AC/DC has made a huge impact on rock since their start in Australia, and their Black Ice Tour is nothing short of legendary: almost 5 million total attendees across 167 shows, averaging nearly $3M in gross revenue per event.

8. Roger Waters - The Wall Live

Tour Profit: $458.6M

Years Active: 2010 - 2013

Roger Waters and his The Wall Live tour had a great three-year run starting in 2010. $2M per show on average for 219 shows, with over 4 million total attendees. This one has gone down in the books for good reason.

7. Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams Tour

Tour Profit: $523M

Years Active: 2016 - 2017

In 2016, Coldplay kicked off their A Head Full of Dreams Tour, which would prove to be a massive success. Over 5 million fans showed up throughout the tour, scoring the band a gross revenue of roughly $4.5M per show across 114 different shows worldwide.

6. The Rolling Stones - No Filter Tour

Tour Profit: $546.5M

Years Active: 2017 - 2021

In 2017, The Rolling Stones kicked off their No Filter Tour: 58 shows across the globe in front of nearly 3 million fans total. This tour helped the legendary rockers score very big - roughly $10M per show big. That's the highest average gross revenue per show that you'll find on this list. It took a lot to get to this point.

5. The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang Tour

Tour Profit: $558.2M

Years Active: 2005 - 2007

Before the Stones could pull in the historic numbers we mentioned in the previous spot on our list. Over a decade prior, they kicked off their A Bigger Bang Tour, which thanks to their hard work across 147 shows, pulled in over $550 million in total gross revenue.

4. Guns N' Roses - Not In This Lifetime Tour

Tour Profit: $584.2M

In 2016, Guns N' Roses began what would become the fourth-highest grossing tour of all time. 158 shows in front of over five million people for a three-year span netted them over $580 million dollars - $3.7 million per show on average.

3. U2 - U2 360 Tour

Tour Profit: $736.4M

Years Active: 2009 - 2011

With this being their third appearance on our list today, it's truly unfathomable to think about just how much revenue U2 has brought in over the course of their iconic career. In 2009, they started what would be the third-highest grossing tour ever, U2 360. In 110 shows, they drew over 7 million fans to attend, who'd end up putting nearly $7 million in the band's pocket per show.

2. Elton John - Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Tour Profit: $750M

Years Active: 2018 - Present

Since 2018, Elton John has been touring the world on his appropriately named final tour, The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Though it's still ongoing, he's pulled in roughly $75o million in gross revenue so far in 278 shows around the world. 5 million fans per show helped score the legend almost $3 million per show.

1. Ed Sheeran - ÷ Tour

Tour Profit: $776.2M

Years Active: 2017 - 2019

At number one on our list is Ed Sheeran for his ÷ Tour. This set the record for the highest grossing tour ever, at almost $780 million in gross revenue. It brought in almost 9 million fans total, who helped Ed Sheeran bring in over $3 million per show across 255 events.

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour breaks record as highest-grossing music tour ever

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is officially the highest-grossing music tour ever, becoming the first to surpass $1 billion dollars in revenue.

The tour, which began in March 2023 and is set to conclude in December 2024 after a total of 151 shows worldwide, has earned $1.04 billion (£840 million) to date, according to Pollstar.

This breaks the record set by Elton John’s five-year farewell tour which ended earlier this year, bringing in $939 million (£749 million) over 328 shows. 

Swift’s sixth concert tour is in fact so popular that it has earned more than this year’s next two highest-grossing tours (Beyoncé’s and Bruce Springsteen’s) combined.

Beyoncé’s 56-date Renaissance World Tour broke Madonna’s 14-year-old record for the highest-grossing music tour by a female artist , earning $579 million (£468 million) between May and October, before The Eras Tour subsequently took the title.

Described by Swift as a journey through all her musical “eras”, each show is over 3.5 hours long with a set list of 44 songs divided into 10 acts.

It has received immensely positive reviews from critics, who have heaped praise on the production’s concept and quality, as well as Swift’s performances.

Her devoted fanbase, the Swifties, have turned out in full force to see their idol, crashing ticketing sites, selling out hotels, and even causing earthquake-like seismic activity at certain shows, as happened in Seattle in July.

With roughly 72,000 people in attendance at each concert, and tickets averaging around $238, the tour is grossing over $17 million per show.

According to Pollstar, 4.3 million tickets have been sold to date, and at this trajectory, the tour could realistically rake in over $2 billion dollars if all the remaining scheduled shows are played.

Merchandise has also proven to be a lucrative source of revenue, with estimates that it has brought in around $200 million so far.

The Eras Tour is just one of Swift’s many successes in 2023. In addition to recently being named Time ’s Person of the Year, and the re-recording of her decade-old 1989 being the best-selling album of the year, she has broken multiple world records.

In June, she was awarded the record for the most simultaneous albums on the US Billboard 200 for a living artist, with 10 of her albums charting at the same time.

She then broke several more records in July : 

• Most US No.1 albums by a female artist – 12 
• Most US singles chart entries (female) – 212
• Most Top 10 debuts on the US Hot 100 (female) – 31
• Most simultaneous new entries on the Hot 100 (female) – 26
• Most cumulative weeks at No.1 on US albums charts (solo female) – 63

And in August, she made history with the most monthly listeners on Spotify (female) , becoming the first female artist to amass 100 million.

With plans to release more music and continue on her record-breaking tour, we’ve no doubt that Taylor Swift will achieve many more Guinness World Records titles in 2024!

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour will be the first to shatter $1 billion in ticket sales, making a lot of people richer: ‘The dollar bill should have her face on it’

Taylor Swift wrapped up the first U.S. leg of her record-shattering Eras Tour this week, part one of the world-spanning concert series that is projected to become the first tour to gross $1 billion in ticket sales . According to some calculations , ticket revenue will far surpass that 10-figure mark, hitting $1.5 billion.

But even that impressive figure may be undercutting the final totals: Additional tour dates go on sale on Ticketmaster Thursday for recently announced North American shows, bringing the Eras Tour total to 140-plus dates over 20 months. It’s possible Swift could add even more shows, as she has done multiple times already, and earn even more in ticket revenue.

If—or more likely, when—she crosses $1 billion, she’ll take the crown of highest-grossing tour of all time from Elton John, who became the record-holder this year when his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour grossed over $900 million after wrapping up in June, according to Billboard Boxscore, the industry’s gross sales tracker.

The math of that billion-dollar–plus gross works out something like this: With an average ticket price of $253.56 (that’s the face value; Swift doesn’t get a cut of the astronomical resale prices), according to live music trade publication Pollstar, Swift has sold over $600 million in gross ticket sales in the U.S. alone over 53 shows (and that could be a conservative estimate given the differing capacity of venues).

While tickets are often less expensive in other countries, some international venues, like Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, can also hold more concertgoers. With over 80 dates abroad planned over the next 15 months—plus another, smaller run in the U.S. after that—Swift will easily surpass $1 billion in gross sales if she performs them all, putting her ahead of Elton John and making her the sole woman on the list of top-grossing tours.

It’s quite the feat for someone who started out as a teenager singing country songs about breakups and best friends. Over the past 17 years, Swift has become one of the richest self-made women on the planet, with Forbes estimating her net worth at $740 million in June of this year. That’s only growing the longer she’s on tour.

“She’s self-made, and it’s amazing that she’s gone from just a girl with a guitar to being a great performer and probably the most powerful entertainer on the planet, bar none,” says David Herlihy, a teaching professor at Northeastern University and coordinator of the school’s music industry program.

But Swift won’t pocket the full gross from the tour. Between the cost of putting on the show, the hundreds of people working on it, and other stakeholders, she’ll net significantly less than the total ticket sales (although she has other tour-related revenue streams—including sponsorships, merchandise, and music sales—that are also adding to her bottom line). After all, the pop star isn’t the only person behind the show—there are countless people working on the tour, from promotion to set design to logistics, who will get a cut of the tour’s revenue.

Here’s how that might play out.

A breakdown of the Eras Tour pie

Swift is managing to earn so much in such a short time (she’s expected to hit $1 billion in less than two years of touring) thanks to inflation and demand. The average $254 ticket price (and again, that’s face value) is more than double the average for her last tour in 2018. That’s in part because all concerts cost more in 2023 than they did a few years ago and because of the unprecedented demand to see her shows—since she last toured, she’s released four new albums and two rereleases (with another, 1989 Taylor’s Version , on the way). Fans are hungry to hear their favorite songs live.

“Most of the money goes to the artist. They have the power,” says Herlihy. “She actually charges less than what the market will bear, but it’s still a lot.”

The U.S. presale crashed Ticketmaster, which did not even host a general sale since tickets sold out immediately. Swift is also touring in stadiums alone, including up to six nights at a single venue in places like L.A. Many of those venues—such as MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Nissan Stadium in Nashville —have reported record-breaking attendance at the Eras shows. She has been the first act to perform more than one night on a single tour in some cities as well, increasing her total show count and adding to her revenues.

Exactly how concert ticket sales are divided up is different for every artist, venue, country and its tax laws, event size, and so on. But generally, it’s split among the artist, their management team and other employees, venues, promoters, and taxes, as well as fixed expenses like rigging, security, transportation, and so on. Artists also have to pay out songwriter royalties when they perform, and Swift, who writes or cowrites all of her songs, gets a portion of that, as do any cowriters.

Without seeing her contracts, it’s impossible to know the exact breakdown of sales. Big artists known to sell out venues typically get paid a guaranteed rate to tour a certain number of dates. But Swift is a unique artist—“stratospheric,” as Herlihy put it—so it is possible she has a unique agreement with promoters and venues, such as the guaranteed minimum rate and then an additional percentage of ticket sales beyond that.

“With someone like Taylor Swift, there’s no risk whatsoever that her tickets won’t sell out,” says Herlihy. “Oftentimes, promoters will pay her more than the face value of the tickets. She may get 110% of the face value.”

Swift took the unusual step of not reporting her nightly figures to Billboard Boxscore, meaning the numbers available are all estimates from outlets like Billboard and Pollstar , but the costs associated with a tour the size of Eras will roughly break down to this:

Pre-tour expenses

Before the tour even kicks off, artists need to pay for rehearsal space. The specifics for the Eras Tour aren’t public knowledge yet, but Swift’s 1989 World Tour required three months of rehearsals, including four weeks of stage rehearsals and 10 days of dress rehearsals, according to the documentary about that event .

Then there’s the set design. Swift’s stage transforms for each of her “eras,” or different albums, sometimes more than once for a single set of songs. The show involves three different stages, lights, LED backgrounds, stage hydraulics, and pyrotechnics, among other elements , requiring tech and sound crews to devise and operate. The 1989 Tour employed hundreds of people to make it work.

Fixed expenses

There are thousands of moving components for a tour the size of Eras, and the “fixed” expenses on a tour are many, including sound engineers, security, transportation of stages and equipment, scaffolding, catering, medical staff, dancers, backup singers, the band, riggers, hotels for the crew and drivers, etc.

The cost for many of these components, especially transportation, has increased recently, given inflation. Michael Scherkenbach, founder and president of Shomotion LLC, one of the companies transporting Eras Tour equipment in the U.S., told Fortune he was bound by nondisclosure agreements and could not discuss how much it costs to transport the stage around the U.S., but the Guardian reported that it could cost upwards of $750,000 per day.

It will likely cost more than that to transport the stage and equipment internationally, requiring cargo ships or planes to move everything. Beyoncé’s last world tour, for example, reportedly required seven Boeing 747 air freighters and more than 70 trucks.

“There’s a lot of money coming off the top,” says Herlihy. “Perhaps 25% to 40% of the ticket revenue goes to cover the expensive touring.”

In its annual report for 2022 , Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster and promotes artists, says it may “reimburse artists for certain costs of production, such as sound and lights.” Exactly what comes out of the promoter’s cut and what comes out of the artist’s varies from contract to contract. Swift is working with promoter Messina Touring Group , which could get a cut of the sales.

Swift will also need to pay her management company, in this case 13 Management, which is run in part by her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift.

Typically a booking agent is also involved, but Swift did not employ one for the Eras Tour—a major cost savings. The demand was so high for the concerts—see: Ticketmaster’s break down —that a booking agent wasn’t needed.

The venues themselves—the stadiums Swift performs in—take a cut of ticket sales or a fixed fee as rental income, according to Live Nation’s annual report for 2022.

They also “receive some or all of the revenue from concessions, merchandise, parking, and premium seating.” Live Nation owns and operates some venues, so the company makes money this way as well.

The impact of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour will be included in Live Nation’s 2023 annual report.

Also not included in the $1 billion–plus figure: merchandise sales. At every show—and even days before —fans have waited in hours-long lines to buy T-shirts, posters, and sweatshirts donning Swift’s face and commemorating the tour. As noted above, the venues get a cut of the merch sales, which can be as high as 30%, says Herlihy. Swift could easily pull in tens of millions of dollars from merch sales at her shows, and that’s a conservative estimate. Fans and resellers have been buying out the concert merch at every show.

“Taylor can negotiate that percentage down, so maybe the venue is only getting 20%,” Herlihy says. “She’s a merchandising juggernaut, a merchandising machine. She makes a lot of money.”

Universal Music Group (UMG), Swift’s record label, is in charge of her merchandise and also gets a cut of sales. In its earnings call for the second quarter of 2023 last month, the company called out the “Swift Lift.”

“Merchandising revenue grew 12% in the quarter, with growth in direct-to-consumer revenue, fueled by a strong performance from Taylor Swift, more than offsetting a decline in touring revenue,” Boyd Muir, UMG's chief financial officer, said on the call .

Swift also sells merch for the tour on her website and encourages fans to buy from there with a discount code provided after they attend the tour in person.

Ticket fees

The fees that concertgoers pay to the likes of Ticketmaster, primary seller for the majority of U.S. shows, can add significantly to the total price of attending. The ticketing company “generally gets paid a fixed fee per ticket sold or a percentage of the total ticket service charges,” according to Live Nation. That said, the artist also gets a cut of the fees, according to Herlihy.

Live Nation controls not only the ticket distribution for many shows, it also owns, leases, operates, or has exclusive booking rights for hundreds of venues around the world, according to its annual report. That means it can require artists who want to play in those venues to use Ticketmaster to sell tickets to those shows. Since the start of the Eras Tour and multiple screwups during the presale, that’s put them under public and congressional scrutiny, with fans and lawmakers saying it’s unfair for one company to control so much of the live events market.

Sponsorships

The Eras Tour is sponsored by Capital One , a company with which Swift has had a long relationship. Swift will get a significant payday for that, and has appeared in Capital One commercials.

The Eras Tour—coupled with the release of new versions of her first six albums—has led to renewed interest in some of Swift’s extensive catalog, resulting in increased streams as well as sales of physical vinyls and CDs.

And the tour has proved to be a brilliant marketing opportunity for another project of Swift’s— rerecording her first six albums . The goodwill from the tour is helping to make the pop star even more popular, which in turn likely boosted sales of her latest rerelease, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which came out last month during the Eras Tour run and sold more than her previous rerecorded albums.

Of course, UMG also benefits from the bump in records Swift has made under her contract. JPMorgan credited her album Midnights, which came out in October 2022, with generating $230 million in sales for the company—close to 3% of its annual revenues from recorded music, per Bloomberg .

Ticket resellers

Swift doesn’t get a cut of tickets that are resold on sites like StubHub, so the resale values don’t figure into the $1 billion–plus total. But resellers have made out handsomely on this tour.

“Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour demand is like nothing we’ve ever seen in the 20-plus years StubHub has been operating,” the ticket reseller told Fortune in a statement, noting she has outsold her previous tour, Reputation, 11-fold.

According to TicketIQ , a no-fee ticket seller, the secondary market average list price for the Eras Tour was $2,183 in early August, compared with an average face value of $253.56, according to Pollstar. Tickets for the U.S. dates maxed out at $499 (VIP packages cost as much as $899), and Swift opted not to turn on dynamic pricing for the sale, meaning she left a ton of money on the table, given the unprecedented demand.

Local economies

Local economies have benefited greatly from the Eras Tour, as has been widely documented , through increased consumer spending on hotels, restaurants, and more. They also benefit from taxes on the tickets, which are typically included in the face value .

And Swift herself has been generous, donating to food banks in each city she visits and giving bonuses reported to be upwards of $55 million to crew members.

Swift herself

Swift can more than afford to make such donations. While it’s unclear exactly how much she’ll take home, the singer will earn, conservatively, hundreds of millions of dollars from the Eras Tour, given all of the different revenue streams.

On ticket sales alone, the Eras Tour could surpass all five of her previous tours combined. The Reputation Tour was her previous highest gross, at $345.7 million, according to Billboard .

“The dollar bill should have her face on it,” jokes Herlihy. “She’s the point one percent, the pinnacle. If capitalism is evolution, survival of the fittest, she is the fittest.”

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Taylor swift’s eras tour will be the first to shatter $1 billion in ticket sales, making a lot of people richer: ‘the dollar bill should have her face on it’.

Taylor Swift wrapped up the first U.S. leg of her record-shattering Eras Tour this week, part one of the world-spanning concert series that is projected to become the first tour to gross $1 billion in ticket sales . According to some calculations , ticket revenue will far surpass that 10-figure mark, hitting $1.5 billion.

But even that impressive figure may be undercutting the final totals: Additional tour dates go on sale on Ticketmaster Thursday for recently announced North American shows, bringing the Eras Tour total to 140-plus dates over 20 months. It’s possible Swift could add even more shows, as she has done multiple times already, and earn even more in ticket revenue.

If—or more likely, when—she crosses $1 billion, she’ll take the crown of highest-grossing tour of all time from Elton John, who became the record-holder this year when his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour grossed over $900 million after wrapping up in June, according to Billboard Boxscore, the industry’s gross sales tracker.

The math of that billion-dollar–plus gross works out something like this: With an average ticket price of $253.56 (that’s the face value; Swift doesn’t get a cut of the astronomical resale prices), according to live music trade publication Pollstar, Swift has sold over $600 million in gross ticket sales in the U.S. alone over 53 shows (and that could be a conservative estimate given the differing capacity of venues).

While tickets are often less expensive in other countries, some international venues, like Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia, can also hold more concertgoers. With over 80 dates abroad planned over the next 15 months—plus another, smaller run in the U.S. after that—Swift will easily surpass $1 billion in gross sales if she performs them all, putting her ahead of Elton John and making her the sole woman on the list of top-grossing tours.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com

It’s quite the feat for someone who started out as a teenager singing country songs about breakups and best friends. Over the past 17 years, Swift has become one of the richest self-made women on the planet, with Forbes estimating her net worth at $740 million in June of this year. That’s only growing the longer she’s on tour.

“She’s self-made, and it’s amazing that she’s gone from just a girl with a guitar to being a great performer and probably the most powerful entertainer on the planet, bar none,” says David Herlihy, a teaching professor at Northeastern University and coordinator of the school’s music industry program.

But Swift won’t pocket the full gross from the tour. Between the cost of putting on the show, the hundreds of people working on it, and other stakeholders, she’ll net significantly less than the total ticket sales (although she has other tour-related revenue streams—including sponsorships, merchandise, and music sales—that are also adding to her bottom line). After all, the pop star isn’t the only person behind the show—there are countless people working on the tour, from promotion to set design to logistics, who will get a cut of the tour’s revenue.

Here’s how that might play out.

A breakdown of the Eras Tour pie

Swift is managing to earn so much in such a short time (she’s expected to hit $1 billion in less than two years of touring) thanks to inflation and demand. The average $254 ticket price (and again, that’s face value) is more than double the average for her last tour in 2018. That’s in part because all concerts cost more in 2023 than they did a few years ago and because of the unprecedented demand to see her shows—since she last toured, she’s released four new albums and two rereleases (with another, 1989 Taylor’s Version , on the way). Fans are hungry to hear their favorite songs live.

“Most of the money goes to the artist. They have the power,” says Herlihy. “She actually charges less than what the market will bear, but it’s still a lot.”

The U.S. presale crashed Ticketmaster, which did not even host a general sale since tickets sold out immediately. Swift is also touring in stadiums alone, including up to six nights at a single venue in places like L.A. Many of those venues—such as MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Nissan Stadium in Nashville —have reported record-breaking attendance at the Eras shows. She has been the first act to perform more than one night on a single tour in some cities as well, increasing her total show count and adding to her revenues.

Exactly how concert ticket sales are divided up is different for every artist, venue, country and its tax laws, event size, and so on. But generally, it’s split among the artist, their management team and other employees, venues, promoters, and taxes, as well as fixed expenses like rigging, security, transportation, and so on. Artists also have to pay out songwriter royalties when they perform, and Swift, who writes or cowrites all of her songs, gets a portion of that, as do any cowriters.

Without seeing her contracts, it’s impossible to know the exact breakdown of sales. Big artists known to sell out venues typically get paid a guaranteed rate to tour a certain number of dates. But Swift is a unique artist—“stratospheric,” as Herlihy put it—so it is possible she has a unique agreement with promoters and venues, such as the guaranteed minimum rate and then an additional percentage of ticket sales beyond that.

“With someone like Taylor Swift, there’s no risk whatsoever that her tickets won’t sell out,” says Herlihy. “Oftentimes, promoters will pay her more than the face value of the tickets. She may get 110% of the face value.”

Swift took the unusual step of not reporting her nightly figures to Billboard Boxscore, meaning the numbers available are all estimates from outlets like Billboard and Pollstar , but the costs associated with a tour the size of Eras will roughly break down to this:

Pre-tour expenses

Before the tour even kicks off, artists need to pay for rehearsal space. The specifics for the Eras Tour aren’t public knowledge yet, but Swift’s 1989 World Tour required three months of rehearsals, including four weeks of stage rehearsals and 10 days of dress rehearsals, according to the documentary about that event .

Then there’s the set design. Swift’s stage transforms for each of her “eras,” or different albums, sometimes more than once for a single set of songs. The show involves three different stages, lights, LED backgrounds, stage hydraulics, and pyrotechnics, among other elements , requiring tech and sound crews to devise and operate. The 1989 Tour employed hundreds of people to make it work.

Fixed expenses

There are thousands of moving components for a tour the size of Eras, and the “fixed” expenses on a tour are many, including sound engineers, security, transportation of stages and equipment, scaffolding, catering, medical staff, dancers, backup singers, the band, riggers, hotels for the crew and drivers, etc.

The cost for many of these components, especially transportation, has increased recently, given inflation. Michael Scherkenbach, founder and president of Shomotion LLC, one of the companies transporting Eras Tour equipment in the U.S., told Fortune he was bound by nondisclosure agreements and could not discuss how much it costs to transport the stage around the U.S., but the Guardian reported that it could cost upwards of $750,000 per day.

It will likely cost more than that to transport the stage and equipment internationally, requiring cargo ships or planes to move everything. Beyoncé’s last world tour, for example, reportedly required seven Boeing 747 air freighters and more than 70 trucks.

“There’s a lot of money coming off the top,” says Herlihy. “Perhaps 25% to 40% of the ticket revenue goes to cover the expensive touring.”

In its annual report for 2022 , Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster and promotes artists, says it may “reimburse artists for certain costs of production, such as sound and lights.” Exactly what comes out of the promoter’s cut and what comes out of the artist’s varies from contract to contract. Swift is working with promoter Messina Touring Group , which could get a cut of the sales.

Swift will also need to pay her management company, in this case 13 Management, which is run in part by her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift.

Typically a booking agent is also involved, but Swift did not employ one for the Eras Tour—a major cost savings. The demand was so high for the concerts—see: Ticketmaster’s break down —that a booking agent wasn’t needed.

The venues themselves—the stadiums Swift performs in—take a cut of ticket sales or a fixed fee as rental income, according to Live Nation’s annual report for 2022.

They also “receive some or all of the revenue from concessions, merchandise, parking, and premium seating.” Live Nation owns and operates some venues, so the company makes money this way as well.

The impact of the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour will be included in Live Nation’s 2023 annual report.

Also not included in the $1 billion–plus figure: merchandise sales. At every show—and even days before —fans have waited in hours-long lines to buy T-shirts, posters, and sweatshirts donning Swift’s face and commemorating the tour. As noted above, the venues get a cut of the merch sales, which can be as high as 30%, says Herlihy. Swift could easily pull in tens of millions of dollars from merch sales at her shows, and that’s a conservative estimate. Fans and resellers have been buying out the concert merch at every show.

“Taylor can negotiate that percentage down, so maybe the venue is only getting 20%,” Herlihy says. “She’s a merchandising juggernaut, a merchandising machine. She makes a lot of money.”

Universal Music Group (UMG), Swift’s record label, is in charge of her merchandise and also gets a cut of sales. In its earnings call for the second quarter of 2023 last month, the company called out the “Swift Lift.”

“Merchandising revenue grew 12% in the quarter, with growth in direct-to-consumer revenue, fueled by a strong performance from Taylor Swift, more than offsetting a decline in touring revenue,” Boyd Muir, UMG's chief financial officer, said on the call .

Swift also sells merch for the tour on her website and encourages fans to buy from there with a discount code provided after they attend the tour in person.

Ticket fees

The fees that concertgoers pay to the likes of Ticketmaster, primary seller for the majority of U.S. shows, can add significantly to the total price of attending. The ticketing company “generally gets paid a fixed fee per ticket sold or a percentage of the total ticket service charges,” according to Live Nation. That said, the artist also gets a cut of the fees, according to Herlihy.

Live Nation controls not only the ticket distribution for many shows, it also owns, leases, operates, or has exclusive booking rights for hundreds of venues around the world, according to its annual report. That means it can require artists who want to play in those venues to use Ticketmaster to sell tickets to those shows. Since the start of the Eras Tour and multiple screwups during the presale, that’s put them under public and congressional scrutiny, with fans and lawmakers saying it’s unfair for one company to control so much of the live events market.

Sponsorships

The Eras Tour is sponsored by Capital One , a company with which Swift has had a long relationship. Swift will get a significant payday for that, and has appeared in Capital One commercials.

The Eras Tour—coupled with the release of new versions of her first six albums—has led to renewed interest in some of Swift’s extensive catalog, resulting in increased streams as well as sales of physical vinyls and CDs.

And the tour has proved to be a brilliant marketing opportunity for another project of Swift’s— rerecording her first six albums . The goodwill from the tour is helping to make the pop star even more popular, which in turn likely boosted sales of her latest rerelease, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , which came out last month during the Eras Tour run and sold more than her previous rerecorded albums.

Of course, UMG also benefits from the bump in records Swift has made under her contract. JPMorgan credited her album Midnights, which came out in October 2022, with generating $230 million in sales for the company—close to 3% of its annual revenues from recorded music, per Bloomberg .

Ticket resellers

Swift doesn’t get a cut of tickets that are resold on sites like StubHub, so the resale values don’t figure into the $1 billion–plus total. But resellers have made out handsomely on this tour.

“Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour demand is like nothing we’ve ever seen in the 20-plus years StubHub has been operating,” the ticket reseller told Fortune in a statement, noting she has outsold her previous tour, Reputation, 11-fold.

According to TicketIQ , a no-fee ticket seller, the secondary market average list price for the Eras Tour was $2,183 in early August, compared with an average face value of $253.56, according to Pollstar. Tickets for the U.S. dates maxed out at $499 (VIP packages cost as much as $899), and Swift opted not to turn on dynamic pricing for the sale, meaning she left a ton of money on the table, given the unprecedented demand.

Local economies

Local economies have benefited greatly from the Eras Tour, as has been widely documented , through increased consumer spending on hotels, restaurants, and more. They also benefit from taxes on the tickets, which are typically included in the face value .

And Swift herself has been generous, donating to food banks in each city she visits and giving bonuses reported to be upwards of $55 million to crew members.

Swift herself

Swift can more than afford to make such donations. While it’s unclear exactly how much she’ll take home, the singer will earn, conservatively, hundreds of millions of dollars from the Eras Tour, given all of the different revenue streams.

On ticket sales alone, the Eras Tour could surpass all five of her previous tours combined. The Reputation Tour was her previous highest gross, at $345.7 million, according to Billboard .

“The dollar bill should have her face on it,” jokes Herlihy. “She’s the point one percent, the pinnacle. If capitalism is evolution, survival of the fittest, she is the fittest.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Tina Knowles praises Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for boosting the economy. See how much their tours have made

Tina Knowles is celebrating two of 2023’s hottest tickets — Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” and Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.”

On Instagram , Knowles shared a screenshot of a Facebook post from New York Times , which linked out to an article that detailed the economic and cultural impact of her daughter Beyoncé’s tour.

In the caption of her post, Knowles wrote, “This is so awesome ! To b able to stimulate the economy is no small feat! @beyonce.”

Knowles also gave a sweet nod to Swift in her caption, adding, “And ! @taylorswift ! Just being young women and being able to say this , is so awesome!!! Proud of them both !”

Beyoncé and Swift’s tours overlapped in the United States during the summer. Both were a pop culture sensation, with social media platforms inundated by various trends coming out of each tour.

For Swift’s “Eras Tour,” friendship bracelets and DIY themed costumes became the norm while Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour birthed the “mute” challenge and had concertgoers following her request for a silver theme in celebration of Virgo season.

With Beyoncé’s tour wrapping up on Oct. 1 and Swift’s on-going tour resuming Nov. 9 in Argentina, both tours have already generated millions of dollars along the way.

Read on to learn more about each tour's economic impact.

How much has the “Renaissance Tour” made?

Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” kicked off May 10 in Sweden and will conclude Oct. 1 in Kansas City. Before the tour kicked off, Forbes estimated that Beyoncé would earn nearly $2.1 billion from her tour.

The “Cuff It” singer’s tour set multiple records over the summer, including back-to-back records for the highest one-month gross in history in both July and August, according to a Sept. report by Billboard .

In July, she grossed $127.6 million and in August, that number increased to $179 million. The outlet also reported the “Renaissance Tour” became the highest grossing tour by a female artist, surpassing Madonna's “Sticky & Sweet Tour” with $461.3 million.

During the “Renaissance Tour,” Beyoncé also gave back $2 million to students and small business through her charity foundation, BeyGOOD. Half of the donations went to entrepreneurs, with luncheons hosted by BeyGOOD the day before each show for a chance to win a $100 thousand grant. The other portion of the $2 million donation was allocated to the Renaissance Scholarship Fund.

Beyoncé’s tour spawned several special moments over the course of its run, including a special tribute to the late Tina Turner , a birthday surprise from Diana Ross , as well as numerous performances alongside her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy.

It was also a hotspot for celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Vanessa Bryant, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and more.

How much has the “Eras Tour” made?

Swift’s “Eras Tour” originally ran from March 17 through August 9. Throughout the year, Swift added on additional dates including several international dates in 2023 and 2024 as well as additional 2024 dates in the United States and internationally. 

While Swift’s tour still has 13 months to go, so far it’s been estimated she's earned $1 billion in sales , with Pollstar estimating the singer will exceed $1.4 billion in the new year .

Swift's economic impact far has exceeded solely ticket sales, too. The tour also increased revenue for hotels across the country, with fans flocking to each city to experience her career-sprawling performances.

It was also reported Swift made several donations with her tour’s earnings, including donating to local food banks at each stop and gifting $100,000 bonus checks to her truck drivers at the end of the U.S. leg of the tour.

The singer’s tour is also set to hit the big screen in the United States, and now internationally. In a press release, AMC said that it took less than 24 hours for the film to “shatter AMC’s U.S. record for the highest ticket-sales revenue during a single day in AMC’s 103-year history.”

Swift’s “Eras Tour” was not without its faults though.

The singer spoke out against Ticketmaster after fans struggled to obtain tickets to the tour due to “historically unprecedented demand” causing the website to crash. The debacle sparked public scrutiny, including questions from senators , and elicited changes from the company before Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” tickets went on sale.

Francesca Gariano is a New York City-based freelance journalist reporting on culture, entertainment, beauty, lifestyle and wellness. She is a freelance contributor to TODAY.com, where she covers pop culture and breaking news.

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Elton John Scores Highest-Grossing Tour Of All Time With ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’

Few artists have exerted as much staying power in popular music as Sir Elton John . The English singer, pianist, and cultural icon’s resume of hits spans six decades, and his performances have been the stuff of live music legend for just as long. Even as he finally says goodbye to life on the road this year, Elton John remains a singular force in the live entertainment world: New figures reported to the Billboard Boxscore indicate that Sir Elton’s  Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour “has grossed $817.9 million across 278 shows so far—more than any tour in Boxscore history.”

Farewell Yellow Brick Road is also the first tour in Billboard Boxscore history to surpass the $800 million gross revenue mark, pushing  Elton John ahead of previous all-time record-holder Ed Sheeran and his The Divide Tour , which grossed $776.4 million between 2017 and 2019.

The bulk of Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road revenue came last year when he sized up from arenas to stadiums. As  Billboard explains, “John’s first three North American legs combined to $268.2 million over 116 shows. His stadium run from July – Nov. 2022 brought in $222.1 million, or 83% of his arena grosses, in just 33 shows.” And he’s still not done…

Related: Elton John Talks Drug Addiction On ‘CBS Sunday Morning’: “It Nearly Destroyed My Soul” [Watch]

Elton John first announced   Farewell Yellow Brick Road in 2018 along with the news that he would retire from the road following the massive, multi-year tour. As John, who was 70 at the time, explained, “My priorities have changed in my life. … My priorities now are my children, my husband, my family. I thought the time is right to say thank you to my fans and say goodbye.” He noted at the time that once the tour is over, he’ll be done for good. “I’m not going to say I’m retiring and then do a world tour,” he quipped. “I’m not Cher .”

Since then, the tour’s itinerary has elongated for numerous reasons, from added dates to the COVID-19 pandemic to a 2021 hip injury . On November 20th, 2022, Elton John rounded out the North American portion of Farewell Yellow Brick Road with fitting fanfare at Los Angeles, CA’s  Dodger Stadium . A concert film culled from that show’s livestream,  Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium , is available to stream on-demand via  Disney+ .

While the Rocket Man has left North America in the rearview, he is set to continue his Yellow Brick Road victory lap throughout the first half of 2023 with 50 more shows across Europe and the U.K. The tour, which has featured 278 concerts to date and will push past 300 before all is said and done, is currently due to close on July 7th and 8th in Stockholm, Sweden.

Related: Elton John Bids Farewell To The Road At Guest-Filled Dodger Stadium Finale [Photos/Videos]

Projections for the total number of tickets John may sell by the end of the tour leave him short of all-time titles ( The Rolling Stones ,  Coldplay ,  Guns N’ Roses ,  U2 , and Sheeran have all brought in more total fans), but Billboard Boxscore reports that Elton John has “grossed $1.863 billion and sold 19.9 million tickets over 1,573 reported shows” since 1986, including his share of co-headlining runs with Eric Clapton ,  James Taylor ,  Tina Turner , and  Billy Joel . That number pushes him past the likes of  Bruce Springsteen and  Madonna and into the all-time top spot on the Boxscore  for career gross for a solo act.

For a complete list of the remaining 2023 Elton John  Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour dates, head here .

[H/T  Billboard ]

Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour Brings In Half-Billion Dollars—But These Singers Made Even More

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Beyoncé made more than half a billion dollars during her Renaissance World Tour, Live Nation said Tuesday, bringing in more money than some had estimated but falling short of gross totals from fellow touring music stars Elton John and Coldplay who are on longer tours and have earned more.

Beyoncé’s 56-stop Renaissance Tour brought in $579 million, beating some expectations.

The singer brought in more than $579 million during her 56-stop tour that began in May, according to Live Nation.

Beyoncé has performed for 2.7 million fans during 56 performances in 39 cities around the world in the past few months.

Before Live Nation’s announcement, estimates of how much Beyoncé’s tour would gross ranged from $275 million to $2.2 billion .

Key Background

In February, when tickets for Beyoncé’s tour went on sale, Billboard estimated the months-long tour would generate between $275 million and $428 million in ticket revenue alone. Those estimates were made before the singer expanded her tour from 41 stops to 56. Other estimates of gross earnings from Beyoncé’s tour surpassed $2 billion. Demand to see the singer on her five-month long tour was high, as this was Beyoncé's first solo tour since her 2016 Lemonade shows. Beyoncé is among several high-profile artists cashing in on increased concert demand in the post-pandemic era. Taylor Swift, who also returned to the concert scene following a hiatus, has spent months performing on her Eras world tour that some are estimating could gross $2.2 billion, coming in neck-in-neck with some of Beyoncé’s top estimations. Elton John is currently on a 330-stop multi-year tour that has grossed more than $939 million, making it the highest-grossing concert in history, according to Billboard . And Coldplay has earned more than $617 million so far in their worldwide tour that has dates scheduled through 2024, Billboard reported .

What To Watch For

Over the summer, Live Nation reported its strongest second quarter ever, as demand for concerts like Beyoncé’s grew. The company reported revenue of $5.6 billion in the second quarter, marking a sharp increase from the year prior when the company earned $4.4 billion in the second quarter. Live Nation’s third quarter earnings—the quarter in which Beyoncé’s tour ended—will be released in early November.

The widely popular tour was filmed and will be released December 1 in movie form. The movie, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé , will run for at least four weeks in AMC theaters across the U.S., Canada and Mexico and includes behind-the-scenes footage from the production of the tour. The movie will also be shown at other theaters including Regal and Cinemark . It’s unclear exactly how much potential revenue the singer could make from the film.

$4.4 billion. That’s how much money the New York Times estimated Beyoncé will have generated for the American economy by the end of the Renaissance tour.

Further Reading

AMC Shares Rise In Premarket As Beyoncé Announces Renaissance Tour Film ( Forbes )

Beyonce Kicks Off Tour In Europe—Here’s What We Know ( Forbes )

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Taylor Swift's Eras: How the most successful concert tour ever got started in Arizona

Taylor Swift launched The Eras Tour era with a sold-out two-night stand at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, 2023, the opening salvo of a record-breaking tour that has dominated headlines and, in many ways, the conversation ever since.

The Eras Tour is a phenomenon as big as Swift herself, if such a thing is possible — the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first tour in history to generate more than $1 billion in revenue.

The concert film — "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" — released in theaters worldwide on Oct. 13, 2023, quickly became the highest-grossing concert film in history , a record previously held by Justin Bieber.  

Following The Eras Tour launch, Swift immediately shot to No. 1 on Pollstar's Artist Power Index chart , ending 2023 as Time magazine’s perfectly obvious choice for Person of the Year .

"Swift’s accomplishments as an artist — culturally, critically and commercially — are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point," Time wrote.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Then, after running down a laundry list of those accomplishments while placing her alongside Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Madonna as a pop star, Time explained why this year more than any other year.

"As a celebrity — who by dint of being a woman is scrutinized for everything from whom she dates to what she wears — she has long commanded constant attention and knows how to use it," Time wrote.

"But this year, something shifted. To discuss her movements felt like discussing politics or the weather — a language spoken so widely it needed no context. She became the main character of the world."

By that point, USA TODAY had hired its own Taylor Swift reporter and Swift had grabbed another first — first billionaire in history with music as the main source of income .

How the Year of Taylor Swift began in Glendale, Arizona

And to think: The Year of Taylor all began in Glendale, which renamed itself Swift City for the weekend in her honor.

A symbolic rebrand, the Swift City storyline played out on digital billboards along freeways and in Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District, where State Farm Stadium is located, welcoming fans to Swift City.

For what it's worth, we would've gone with Glendale (Taylor's Version) .

Swift had launched the Reputation Tour in that same stadium five years earlier.

She really likes us!

The Eras Tour is 'a journey through all of my musical eras'

In announcing the tour, Swift had promised “a journey through all of my musical eras,” which by any reasonable metric, is a lot of ground to cover — 10 hit albums, four of which have been released since the conclusion of the Reputation Tour in late 2018.

And she made it look easy, enjoying the journey as much as the Swifties who flocked to the show did while revisiting her catalog one era at a time in a marathon set that ran more than three hours, squeezing in 44 songs before the night was through.

Her earliest eras weren’t as prominently featured in the journey as her recent albums. There was only one song, “Tim McGraw,” from her first album, “Taylor Swift,” and one, “Enchanted,” from her third release, “Speak Now.”

The early albums she’d already rerecorded in “Taylor’s Version” editions by the time the tour launched were given more time in the spotlight. There were three songs from her second album “Fearless” and four from her fourth album, “Red.”

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour: 5 magic moments at State Farm Stadium that Arizonans saw first

The Eras Tour favored the eras since the Reputation Tour

It made sense that Swift would give more stage time to the albums she hadn’t had a chance to tour since being forced to pull the plug on Lover Fest, the tour she had planned in support of 2019’s “Lover,” in response to the pandemic that took everybody off the road in 2020.

Not quite an hour into her performance on Night 1 in Glendale, Swift asked fans, “Is it just me or do we have a lot of things to catch up on?”

Noting that “it’s been a really long time since I’ve been on tour,” she said they’d “added four new members to the family” since that last tour, introducing them by name as “Lover,” “Folklore,” Evermore” and “Midnights,” her latest release, which brought the concert to an end with a seven-song sampler.

It was a breathtaking journey through 17 years’ worth of musical eras with the artist connecting with at every step along the way.

When Taylor dove into a stream and sang 'All Too Well'

The stage show was designed to reach the back rows of the stadium with a breathtaking blend of artful set design — that “Folklore” cabin was cottagecore gold — and film projected on the massive screen behind the stage.

It was a concert packed with highlights, the most theatrical of which came at the end of an understated “Tim McGraw,” which Swift performed alone on a satellite stage, accompanying herself on an upright piano. At the song’s conclusion, she stood up and appeared to dive into a stream to swim beneath the runaway to the main stage.

As entertaining as that was, the full 10-minute version of “All Too Well” from “Red (Taylor’s Version),” the longest song to top the Billboard Hot 100, emerged as the concert’s emotional centerpiece, a heartbreaking triumph that ended in a haunting shower of paper snowflakes.

That opening-night performance also introduced the concept of “ surprise songs ,” two unannounced acoustic songs she planned to slip into the set each night just to keep fans guessing in the Era of the Online Setlist, where a quick Google search can reveal all.

The Era Tour is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Night 1 set list in Glendale, Arizona

“Lover” album:

• “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.”
• “Cruel Summer.”
• “You Need To Calm Down.”
• “The Archer.”

“Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” album:

• “Fearless.”
• “You Belong With Me.”
• “Love Story.”

“Evermore” album:

• “’Tis The Damn Season.”
• “Marjorie.”
• “Champagne Problems.”
• “Tolerate It.”

“Reputation” album:

• “… Ready For It?”
• “Delicate.”
• “Don’t Blame Me.”
• “Look What You Made Me Do.”

“Speak Now” album:

• “Enchanted.”

“Red (Taylor’s Version)” album:

• “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
• “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
• “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).”

“Folklore” album:

• “Invisible String.”
• “The Last Great American Dynasty.”
• “Illicit Affairs.”
• “My Tears Ricochet.”
• “Cardigan.”

“1989” album:

• “Blank Space.”
• “Shake It Off.”
• “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version).”
• “Bad Blood.”

Surprise songs:

• “Mirrorball.”
• “Tim McGraw.”

“Midnights” album:

• “Lavender Haze.”
• “Anti-Hero.”
• “Midnight Rain.”
• “Vigilante (expletive).”
• “Bejeweled.”
• "Mastermind."

Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter  @EdMasley .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

How Much Taylor Swift Makes Per Concert After Taxes And Expenses

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• Taylor Swift's Eras Tour grossed over $1 billion dollars.
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• Swift's success as a businesswoman is evident through her strategic branding.

Taylor Swift had a profound year in 2023. Not only was she named Time Magazine's Person of the Year, but she led one of the biggest concert tours in music history. The record-breaking Eras Tour grossed over $1 billion dollars, according to AP. She was also revealed to be a billionaire by Forbes Magazine.

Swift has become a pop culture sensation akin to legends such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. She is the face of 21st-century music for millions of fans around the world. Her legion of fans, affectionately called Swifties, are an unwavering, loyal community.

Known for her energetic and engaging concerts, Swift's charisma and stage presence is felt. As can be expected, Swift earns a considerable fortune through her touring efforts, even after taxes and expenses.

How Much Does Taylor Swift Make Per Concert?

According to Billboard, Taylor Swift grossed nearly $2 billion in 2023. This estimate is based on the success of Swift's Eras Tour ticket sales, Eras Tour merchandise sales, Eras Tour film ticket sales, and album sales. For a single entertainer, this is beyond impressive. However, Swift's incredible success is far from surprising.

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Swift is not only musically gifted, but has demonstrated her caring and fan-focused personality. Swift deeply loves her fans, and her fans love her back tenfold. She has released hit after hit, and many of her songs have become modern classics. Swift's incredible influence on culture and music is one reason why Eras Tour tickets have cost fans hundreds to thousands of dollars.

According to Billboard, the average ticket for a U.S. Eras Tour performance was roughly $250. Most fans had to pay much more, however. Tickets skyrocketed exponentially in third party markets. Based on ticket sales alone, Swift grosses approximately $13 million or more per show before taxes and expenses, according to Bloomberg. Swift additionally earns roughly $2 million in merchandise per concert, according to Billboard.

Swift most likely receives 60 to 85% of The Eras Tour revenue . Swift's actual income cannot be determined with confidence as her expenses and taxes are not public knowledge. In June 2023, Forbes reported that Swift had already pocketed more than $100 million from the Eras Tour after show expenses. This number may not include taxes, however.

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Considering that The Eras Tour has grossed over a billion dollars, Swift most likely has brought home $200 to $400+ million , after taxes and expenses. This is an educated prediction, based on various sources. If Swift earns approximately $13 million per show in gross, she most likely brings at least $3-5 million home after expenses and taxes. While only estimates, these numbers hint at how The Eras Tour helped make Taylor Swift a billionaire.

How Much Has Taylor Swift Earned From Past Tours?

Taylor Swift has not only earned a fortune from her Eras Tour, but previous tours as well. While expenses often are not revealed to the public, The Tampa Bay Times discussed Swift's 2015 Halloween concert at Raymond James Stadium in surprising detail.

Swift reportedly earned $3.9 to $4 million from ticket sales, while more than $840,000 in profit was given to the Tampa Sports Authority and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to a stadium agreement between the Tampa Bay Sports Authority and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL team receives a generous portion of profits that do not go to the headlining artist.

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Swift's 2018 Reputation Tour reportedly grossed approximately $345 million, according to 33 Square. Based on estimates from 33 Square, Swift could have pocketed at least $3 million per concert during the tour after expenses.

Swift earns a considerable amount of money every concert she gives, and based on The Eras Tour's massive success, she will continue to do so. Future concerts and tours will only increase the entertainment legend's fortune.

Why Is Taylor Swift A Remarkable Businesswoman?

Taylor Swift is not only a skilled performer, songwriter, and vocalist, but an intelligent businesswoman who has capitalized on her success. She has created a brand based on her image, and has used her welcoming and friendly personality to her advantage. Fans feel connected to her, and this personal connection has created a sense of incredible loyalty.

Swift typically teases projects and is creative about how she announces new albums, videos, or tours.

Her teases build immeasurable excitement among fans and is just a part of her ultimate business plan. Swift understands that thoughtful communication with fans can go a long way. Showing care allows Swift to maintain fans and keep them interested in her projects.

Furthermore, she has made trailblazing business decisions, such as her industry-defining partnership with AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres. Swift could not find an attractive distribution deal with Hollywood studios or streaming platforms for her Eras Tour film, so she decided to collaborate with the biggest theater franchises to release her concert documentary. This was an unprecedented deal that demonstrated Swift's innovative and business spirit.

She also chose to re-record numerous of her earlier albums to regain ownership of her catalog, which was a courageous and fearless move on Swift's part. Interestingly, she did not re-record them in chronological order for a convincing reason. Swift has become a feminist business icon due to decisions such as these.

Taylor Swift's music is not for everyone, but many would agree that she has earned success, fame, fortune, and influence. She has put good in the world and has helped millions of people through her work. She is a positive force in culture and entertainment and has become a role model to so many.

Billboard Canada FYI Bulletin: SOCAN Distributes Record-High Royalties

Plus: a bob mackowycz memorial fund, an alanis anniversary, and a love-in for richard flohil's 90th birthday bash at lula lounge..

It's a record year for SOCAN.

The Canadian rights management organization has released its 2023 financials following its Annual General Meeting in Montreal. They show half a billion dollars ($523M) in collections and record-high royalty distributions ($442M) to songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Highlights of the 2023 results:

• $523M total collections – an 8% increase over 2022.
• 9% year-over-year increase in total international royalty collections ($119.9M).
• 8% year-over-year increase in revenue collected in Canada.
• 13% year-over-year increase in revenue from digital sources.
• $ 442 million total distributions – a 22% increase over 2022.
• Concert distributions increasing from $6 to over $17M.
• Reproductions Rights royalty distributions increasing to $9.9M.
• Expense-to-revenue ratio was maintained at 12%.

The report in full can be downloaded here .

– A Bob Mackowycz Memorial Fund has been set up by his family for the well-respected broadcaster and author best known for his work on Q-107 who died unexpectedly on May 30, at age 75. Donations support Canadian music workers and will be directed to The Unison Fund, a registered charity that provides mental health counselling and emergency financial support to music workers in times of hardship. You can click here to donate.

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– Richard Flohil’s 90th-anniversary birthday bash at the Lula Lounge in Toronto’s west end on Monday night (June 24) was an old-fashioned love-in for the celebrated and well-loved impresario, raconteur and writer who has long been recognized as a bellwether of underground roots music in Canada. On this night, he amassed a great number of his favourites including Serena Ryder, Shakura S'Aida, Gloria Martin, Kevin Breit, Corin Raymond, Treasa Levasseur, Paul Reddick and, in spirit if not in person, David Gavan Baxter .

The hard-ticket show divvied up the gate between the performers and the Unison Benevolent Fund, which will see several thousand dollars come its way. He candidly admitted from the stage that he may have to appeal to that musicians' relief fund at some point, but for now, an oversized jar was passed around with friends readily giving what they could to fund his next fun-filled frolic to the U.K.

Co-hosting the show was longtime ally Holger Petersen and the ever-outrageous Jaymz Bee, whose outfit was loud enough to scare off a moose. And what’s a show without a surprise? Overlooking burlesque queen Sonya Cote bursting from a stage prop birthday cake that had our man of the evening sitting gobsmacked on stage drinking in the adulation, there was the short set fronted by Trombone Charlotte (McAfee-Brunner) whose exuberance and obvious talent made her a star in an instant this night. All in all, it was a night to remember.

Why Richard Flohil hasn’t been given a Hall of Fame, Walk of Fame or Lifetime Achievement Award as yet is a mystery to me. Meantime, he has made his own history, helped so many and proven himself to be a man of constant humour and wit the likes of whom there is no equal.

Below, with Delta Sugar, is Trombone Charlotte at the Lula Lounge on Monday night.

– Congrats to the Julian Taylor’s Jukebox team on winning the 2024 CRABO Award in the Best Syndicated Radio Show, as given by the National Campus & Community Radio Association.

– Canadian country imprint MDM Recordings has aligned itself with ADA Canada , the independent label and artist services arm of WMC, in a new deal that is global in reach. Now in its 16 th year of operation, the imprint founded and run by Mike Denney reports an impressive 450M global streams and over 500K physical units sold. The label was previously distributed by UMC.

– CAPACOA has released a series of statistics and infographics on Canada's performing arts industry that suggests the live performance sector contributed $3.6B to the GDP last year and accounted for 78K jobs in the same period. The infographics can be viewed here and the source data resources here .

– Alanis Morissette’s multi-platinum Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is getting special treatment from the folks at Rhino Records with 2 2-LP editions pressed on black and clear vinyl to celebrate the 25 th anniversary of the 1998 album. Originally released on Madonna’s boutique Maverick imprint, a digital version of the album augmented with four bonus tracks has been released. The vinyl editions will be released on Sept. 6. Alanis caught a lot of attention singing both national anthems before Game 7 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night (June 24).

– Taking their name from a streetcar line in the band’s native Toronto, well-employed but less-known quartet The 501 East is finally stepping out of the shadows as session guns for hire and releasing Short Turn , an album imbued with Americana, jazz, funk and blues. You can get a taste of the band’s debut here .

Avril Lavigne Appointed to the Order of Canada

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Avril Lavigne

The Canadian superstar has been given one of the country's highest honours, in the same month as she's released her first greatest hits compilation album of fan favourites, accompanied by a tour set for August.

One of Canada's biggest stars is getting one of the country's highest honours.

Pop star Avril Lavigne has been named to the Order of Canada, a civilian honour that recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to the country. Lavigne was announced by Governor General Mary Simon yesterday, amongst a list of 83 new appointees that includes scientists, economists, poets and activists.

Lavigne's appointment notice highlights her impressive commercial and artistic achievements, as well as her charity work. "With over 50 million albums sold worldwide, she paved the way for female-driven punk-rock music and continues to do so today," the notice reads, going on to mention her support of individuals living with disabilities and serious illnesses through the Avril Lavigne Foundation.

Lavigne is one of Canada's best-selling artists, with ten Juno awards to her name. The Order of Canada appointment comes as Lavigne is celebrating her successes with Greatest Hits , a new compilation released June 21 featuring platinum singles like "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" as well as her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 "Girlfriend."

The Canadian icon is also taking her hits on the road with a major tour , which kicked off in Vancouver in May and begins its second leg in Toronto on August 12, with a sold-out Scotiabank Arena show.

Beyond the charts, Lavigne helped pave the way for a punk-inspired vision of girlhood in the early 2000s, when most female pop stars were embracing a more traditionally feminine image. Lavigne's brash attitude and white tank top and tie combo cemented her as an icon for a generation of Canadian kids.

That influence has been recognized of late with Lavigne receiving recognition from Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2022, Canada's Walk of Fame in 2023 and now the Order of Canada.

Lavigne wasn't the only musician recognized by the Order of Canada this week. Montreal singer-songwriter Daniel Lavoie was named an Officer of the Order, as were percussionist Beverley Johnston and conductor Kent Nagano.

Find the full list of appointees here.

Late last year, longtime host, broadcaster and Apple Music DJ George Stroumboulopoulos was also named to the Order of Canada. Read more about that here .

Post Malone Revs Up for ‘F-1 Trillion’ Tour

By Jon Blistein

Jon Blistein

Post Malone is set to hit the road this fall in support of his first country album, F-1 Trillion .

The musician will play a mix of stadiums and amphitheaters on the 21-show trek, which kicks off Sept. 8 at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City and wraps Oct. 19 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The run also includes a previously announced headlining set at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Sept. 28.  

Tickets for the tour will go on sale July 1 at 10 a.m. local time via Live Nation. Citi cardholders will have access to presale tickets starting June 26 at 10 a.m. local time, while fans can also register for pre-sale access on Post Malone’s website . 

“I love y’all so very much and I’m so excited to get out and play new music for you,” Post Malone said of the trek in a statement. 

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Before kicking off his fall tour, Post Malone will play a handful of festival dates this summer, including a set at Outside Lands in San Francisco. He’s already teased his country era with a surprise performance at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium earlier this year before playing a set of country covers at Stagecoach , where he was joined by Brad Paisley, Dwight Yokam, and Sara Evans. 

Post Malone 2024 Tour Dates Sep 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre Sep 12 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center Sep 14 – Syracuse, NY @ Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview Sep 16 – Bangor, ME @ Maine Savings Amphitheatre Sep 18 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park Sep 20 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium Sep 21 – Hartford, CT @ The XFINITY Theatre Sep 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Broadview Stage at SPAC Sep 25 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain Sep 28* – New York, NY @ Global Citizen Festival Sep 29 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theatre Oct 1 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center Oct 4 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach Oct 5 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park Oct 7 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion Oct 9 – Charleston, SC @ Credit One Stadium Oct 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre Oct 13 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP Oct 15 – Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Oct 17 – Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater Oct 19 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium

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Stolen Vans, Ancient Gear & the ‘Livable Basics’: How Artists Tour On a Budget

As costs soar and belts tighten, artists are finding different ways to economize on the road.

By Steve Knopper

Steve Knopper

Quasi has exactly two members, and the indie-rock band can afford exactly one hotel room while headlining clubs and theaters through the end of July. “Any increase in that — if we decide we want an additional musician or a sound engineer or someone to help us sell our merch — that pushes us into two rooms,” says Janet Weiss , the duo’s drummer. “And we’re not going to come home with money.

U2 & Sphere Dominate Billboard Boxscore’s Midyear Recap as Top 10 Tours Gross a…

“Costs have increased so much,” continues Weiss, the former Sleater-Kinney drummer. “There isn’t that revenue source — records — to fall back on to get the show funded the way you would like it to be. It’s a combination of the economy and the streaming economy.”

Trending on Billboard

Billboard spoke to nine 2024 touring artists, from singer-songwriter Caroline Rose to rockers English Teacher to doom-metal band REZN , about how they stay afloat amid price spikes for hotels, buses, crew and (depending on what part of the country they’re driving in) fuel.

Janet Weiss, Quasi:

We’re feeling the squeeze, for sure. Hotels are really outrageous — a Holiday Inn Express for $320 plus tax? That’s unheard-of. It’s harder and harder to make a profit if you have any sort of crew at all. 

As much as we love touring, it’s not something we can do if you don’t come home with enough money to cover the weeks you’ve been gone. You’re going to have your car, home, health insurance — which costs a fortune — your pet-sitting, you know? So our solution is to scale it way, way back, as far as how many people we tour with.

We’re not spring chickens, but we’re healthy enough to be able to do it. It’s really hard to do everything ourselves — sell the merch, set up the gear, drive, deal with a different sound person every night, explaining our setup and how we want it to sound, and the lights. I would love to bring a few cool lights and have an extra person who would help with gear, but the rooms are so expensive, it’s nearly impossible. After Covid, costs are so high. They never came back down.

Matt Korvette, vocalist, Pissed Jeans:

We definitely feel it. The thing that stands out is the band meal the morning after the show. Usually, that’s the most relaxed and largest meal you’ll have for the day together. You’ll wake up, go to a place to eat and hit the road and finagle some dinner later. That’s an easy $100, where it used to be like $50 for four people.

One thing that’s different than previous years is no one has a van you can borrow. There aren’t the same networks of bands with vans. Everyone outsources it now. There are expensive van-rental companies for Sprinters. That’s been a drag. 

We owned one [van], then sold it during Covid. We were just paying insurance for this thing that just sat there. So that was a hindrance. We sold it to a local metal band who we weren’t familiar with. I would see it around town, and apparently it got stolen from them. They added a Motörhead flag to cover up the window and it would be pleasant to see every now and then, like a little reminder. And now it’s gone.

We’re going to play in Baltimore in a couple months, two hours from Philly, and we’ll probably take three separate cars rather than figure out some sort of van. That’s one of the ways we’ve made things work, in a slightly more awkward way. It doesn’t have the same feel of rolling up to a show.

We all have main jobs outside of the band. It makes the band more thrilling and fun and free, a hobby rather than something that we’re staring at show metrics and wondering if we’re going to have to partner with a soft drink on Instagram to be able to pay rent. We miss out on really breaking through to a larger audience, let’s say, but we’ve made peace with that.

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Lily Fontaine, singer, English Teacher:

The things we’re having to cut back on are guitar techs and lighting engineers and drum techs. It’d create a smoother show for the audience, and it’d be quite normal at this point in our career to have that. But that’s extra hotels, extra flights, extra food. It’s been an agreement with all of us that as soon as we can have a regular guitar technician, at the very least, that’s something that we want to have. It’s been explicitly talked about.

We have band members share rooms. Last year, all of us were in one room. We’re lucky enough to be able to have twin rooms. Not a lot of bands get to have that. We’ve been on tour for months now, so having space is really good.

Caroline Rose, singer-songwriter:

Prices of buses have just gone up astronomically. It feels like the carrot that’s been dangling in front of my face for years now. It makes it more economical touring in a van, so we all shove in there like sardines.

We extended the tour to two months to make it profitable. The longer we were on the road, the more we could profit. It was a little past break-even point.

We had a VIP access for most of the shows, in the venues that we had the infrastructure to do so. That allowed people to see our short film that we made. That helped offset a lot of costs. It’s really important to have an enticing production. We have found clever ways to make it look good without costing a fortune. I call it “DIY pro.” All the equipment that we use is pretty ancient and held together with coat hangers and rope and things we end up returning when the tour is done. 

All of us wear multiple hats. My guitarist, who also plays keys, does all of our playback, and she’s a genius with tech. My tour manager is basically a production manager. My manager is helping advance all the shows from afar. My sound engineer does almost all of the driving. We change our own tires. I’m very skilled with engines! We have a rotating hotel room. If somebody was having a rough day or needed some time alone, they would get that hotel room to themselves.

Most people still think it’s the ’70s, where we’re partying every night and hanging out with bands and going out and getting wasted. The reality of being an independent musician today is so drastically removed from that. We’re not Taylor Swift . We’re not these huge bands that are selling out arenas. We’re still the working-class musicians that are supporting this industry at the grassroots level.

David Bazan, Pedro the Lion :

We’ve got it whittled down to the livable basics. It’s a three-piece band. You can’t really go fewer than that on stage. Then two crew — one sound person and one manager-person.

At first, in coming back [in 2017, after a lengthy break-up], we came [out] with a lighting designer and a whole lighting rig. When we started touring again after the lockdown, we didn’t have a lighting rig or an LD anymore. I don’t know if we’ll get to the place, income-wise, where we can afford that. But as soon as we can, I would like to reinstate it. It’s such a lovely element to have.

If it got so bad that we weren’t actually breaking even on the tour, I would just tour less and save up and pay for it. It’s something I want to do. The nut we’re rolling with right now is what it costs to do it with care and responsibility.

Rob McWilliams, singer, doom-metal band REZN:

We have five people in our touring party. Four people in the band [and] our merch person. We all just manage our tour stuff ourselves. We all share one hotel room — just a bunch of dudes in one hotel room sharing beds and a pullout couch. That helps save costs, for sure. Luckily, I don’t mind spending time around these guys. It just feels like you’re on vacation with your family. You’ve just got to share a bed with your brother. But you’ve got to stagger those showers.

If we get another hotel room, that’s maybe another $150-$200. Is that worth our comfort, in that we will technically get paid less at the end, because it will eat into the profits at the final day of the tour? It was a brief conversation. We’ve been doing it this way for over a year, and it’s been going well: “We’ll just keep it going.” We’re thinking about bringing a sound person. That’s our next goal. The expenses of another hotel room — that’s a pretty big step. 

Peter Silberman, The Antlers:

In planning this tour, we had our sights set on cutting down costs. I don’t think there’s one magic solution for artists. It requires being granular with your budgeting and your accounting.

With this tour, we’ve teamed up with Okkervil River . The idea was to do everything we could to share the burden, and that involves traveling in one vehicle, sharing all the expenses, minimizing the amount of equipment we’re bringing out and the amount of crew — basically, zero crew. We have somebody who is tour-managing remotely, advancing shows and being in touch with promoters. We’re not traveling with a sound engineer, we’re using all the house sound engineers and merch sellers. 

All of us are accustomed to a DIY approach to touring and have done that on and off throughout our careers. So the skill set is already there.

Jess Williamson, singer-songwriter:

I’m doing a regional tour around Texas. I live part time in Los Angeles and part time in Marfa, Texas. I made Austin the base for my band for our rehearsals. I could do a house swap for my house in LA for a friend’s house in Austin. That’s one way I kept costs down. We’re here five out of seven nights. We’re sleeping in Austin. We have this kind-of-free, really nice place to stay. It would have been a lot if we had to rent an Airbnb.

Last year, money was a little tighter. This year, things are going really well. I definitely do a lot, though, to make it work.

I hope people realize how important it is, for the artist, to buy something at the merch [booth]. The fees from the shows only go so far, but merch is directly contributing to the artist’s pocket. Going out to the merch every night, it really helps with my sales, and I love to do it. It’s not the easiest thing to do after you’ve played. Sometimes I’m at the merch for an hour and a half, standing and talking to people. It wears on me. I do it because it helps with sales, and I need to move the merch to keep the tour afloat.

Eric Earley, guitarist, Blitzen Trapper:

I’ve got a daughter who’s seven. When they’re that age, I don’t want to miss too much. So two weeks is my limit, at this point, of shows in a row. I’ll do two or three of those a year and we’ll do fly-outs or one-offs, festivals here and there, if it makes sense.

With Covid, a bunch of the guys were tired, and I took over the business side. I started making some decisions, because I have a family: Is it worth it to go on the road? Part of that was, “I think I just want to do a four-piece now.” But I would love to add another member at some point.

Because we live in Oregon, if you want to get to the East Coast without flying, and still make money, you have to route a tour that’s at least three weeks. If we’re going to do the East Coast, we’ve got to fly and rent all the gear and the vehicle out there.

I really enjoy shows and touring, so there’s a level of fulfillment that’s not attached to a monetary value. It’d be easier to do a day job. Music business is a rough business, but if you love playing music and make some money off it, it’s worth it.

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Charli XCX Plots 2024 International ‘BRAT' Tour Dates

Charli XCX announced the international dates for her 2024 Brat tour on Monday (March 25), which will be a mix of live concerts and what she's dubbed "partygirl" events. The run will kick off with a set at Primavera Sound Barcelona on June 1, followed by shows in London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Mexico City before winding down on June 22 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Just hours after announcing the dates, the singer noted on Instagram that all the shows were already sold out .

At press time Charli had not yet announced the release date for BRAT , her sixth full-length album, though she did recently reveal that it is out this summer, contains 15 songs and is 41:23 long. The follow-up to her 2022 album Crash has been advanced by the uptempo first single, "Von Dutch."

Speaking to Billboard at this year's 2024 Women in Music event, Charli said that BRAT is a club record meant to evoke the illegal London rave scene of the early 2000s where she started performing as a 14 and 15-year-old, produced from a tight collection of sounds to create "this unique minimalism that is very loud and bold."

She also said that the album is "very direct" eschewing "metaphor and flowery lyricism" for language that is closer to the way she talks to her friends in text messages. "This record is all the things I would talk about with my friends, said exactly how I would say them. It's in ways very aggressive and confrontational, but also very conversational and personal," she said. "And not in that boring way where artists are like, ‘This is my most personal record.' To me, it feels like listening to a conversation with a friend.

See the Brat tour announcement and dates below.

BRAT tour dates :

June 1 - Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound Barcelona

June 7 - London, England @ Here at Outernet

June 11 - Queens, NY @ Knockdown Center

June 12 - Chicago, IL @ Radius

June 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Expo Hall

June 19 - Mexico City, Mexico @ LooLoo Studio

June 22 - São Paulo, Brazil @ Zig Club

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