Business

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Is First In History To Gross Over $1 Billion, Report Says

December 10, 2023

Topline

Billionaire pop star Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour grossed more than $1 billion this year, according to estimates by Pollstar, making it the first tour to clear the ten-digit mark in what was a record-shattering year for concerts.

The Eras Tour grossed an estimated $1.04 billion this year, Pollstar estimated. (Photo by Marcelo … [+] Endelli/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Key Facts

Swift’s Eras Tour grossed about $1.04 billion from 60 shows performed in 2023, according to estimates by Pollstar, a music industry publication that tracks concert grosses.

This estimate makes the Eras Tour the highest-grossing tour of all time, displacing Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which has grossed about $939 million, Pollstar reported.

Pollstar said the Eras Tour broke the all-time gross record at an “unprecedented” speed, noting that John’s tour was previously the highest-grossing tour after 328 shows, more than five times the amount of Eras Tour shows performed so far.

Swift broke attendance records at several stadiums, including New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which saw a three-day attendance total of 217,635, and set single-day attendance records at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium and Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.

Swift sold more than 4.3 million Eras Tour tickets at an average price of $238.95, making her average gross per show $17,321,063, which Pollstar considered “massive.”

Pollstar said its projected Eras Tour gross is an estimate based on “ticket prices in each market, record capacities at each venue and comparable tour data.”

Key Background

This year was a record-shattering year for concerts, according to Pollstar. The total gross for the top 100 worldwide tours this year was $9.17 billion, up 46% from last year’s total of $6.28 billion. Ticket sales also surged from 59 million sold in 2022 to 70 million in 2023. Pollstar reported worldwide concert revenue began to flatline around 2019, when total grosses stagnated at about $5.5 billion, but came roaring back after the pandemic. Pollstar noted this year, women had the top two worldwide tours for the first time in 15 years, with Swift and Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour outperforming tours by Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay and Harry Styles. Beyonce’s tour grossed $579 million based on 56 shows performed in 2023. In 2008, Madonna and Celine Dion had the world’s two highest grossing tours.

Contra

Billboard estimated in November the Eras Tour had grossed more than $906 million with 4.1 million tickets sold, which would make it the second-highest grossing tour of all time behind John. Billboard noted the projected gross was an estimate and not based on data provided by Swift or the concert venues.

Tangent

John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour previously broke the all-time gross record in January, surpassing Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour, which stands as the third-highest grossing tour with $776 million from 257 shows. U2’s 360 Tour is the fourth highest-grossing tour, according to Pollstar, with $735 million after 110 shows.

Forbes Valuation

$1.1 billion. That’s Taylor Swift’s net worth as of Friday, according to Forbes estimates, making her the first billionaire to make the cut based solely on songs and performances. Forbes reported Swift officially became a billionaire in October, largely thanks to the success of the Eras Tour. Her music catalog is worth an estimated $500 million, and another $500 million is estimated to come from royalties and touring. About $125 million of her net worth comes from real estate. Swift made an estimated $190 million from the first leg of the Eras Tour alone and $35 million from the first two weeks of Eras Tour concert film screenings, Forbes reported.

What To Watch For

How much will the Eras Tour gross in total? It’s not even halfway over—Swift is set to perform 85 more shows in 2024, when the Eras Tour heads to Europe, Asia and Australia, with additional dates set for North America.