Taylor Swift ushers in new era with first $1 billion concert tour in history

Musician Taylor Swift has broken the record for gross revenue made during a concert tour, with an estimated $1,039,263,762 during its 2023 leg.

Concert trade outlet Pollstar calculated the number by analyzing ticket prices in each area and the capacity of the venues Swift visited during her Eras Tour. According to the outlet, Elton John previously had the record with his Farewell Tour making $939 million to cap off his 55-year-long music career.

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Swift began the tour this year, causing the ticket sale website Ticketmaster to crash. Her first stop was in Glendale, Arizona, in March, and her final stop in Pollstar’s analysis was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last month. The Eras Tour will continue through next year in Asia and Europe. In total, she will have performed 146 shows by the tour’s end.

On average, ticket buyers spent $238.95 to attend the concert according to Pollstar. The most expensive ticket, which included a VIP package, cost as much as $899, with resellers taking advantage to set an even higher price.

Since 2019, Swift has made some $400 million in her song releases, $370 million in concert ticket sales and subsequent merchandise, and another $80 million in royalties from her musical catalog. This led to her reaching billionaire status in music and performances alone.

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The next highest-grossing concert was Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour which made more than $579 million. Beyoncé took her concert to movie theaters, as Swift did, while actors were on strike against the major Hollywood studios. Swift made roughly $126 million in her Eras Tour opening weekend.

Altogether, the top 100 music tours made some $9.17 billion in gross revenue in 2023, which was 46% more than last year when mask requirements due to the coronavirus pandemic were still in place at some venues.