Taylor Swift has not only earned the prestigious title of TIME Magazine‘s Person of the Year but has also achieved a historic milestone with her ongoing Eras Tour. According to a report from Pollstar, a leading live music trade publication, Swift has become the first artist in history to surpass the $1 billion mark in gross revenue from a single tour.
The staggering figure of $1,039,263,762 has been amassed by Swift’s Eras Tour to date, with plans to resume the tour in February of the following year. Over the course of eight months and 60 shows, Swift sold an impressive 4.3 million tickets, setting numerous individual stadium records along the way.
Pollstar acknowledges Swift’s remarkable success, noting that she surpassed Elton John‘s previous touring record with only a fifth of the number of individual shows. Remarkably, Swift achieved this without topping the charts in ticket prices, ranking fifth for the year in that category. In just eight months, she outperformed every comparable touring act, a feat made even more impressive when considering the substantial merchandise sales to her devoted fanbase.
Merchandise sales for the Eras Tour are estimated at $200 million, a significant portion of which was generated through strategically placed merchandise trailers outside stadium locations between tour dates. This allowed fans to purchase Swift-themed items, including t-shirts and hats, even on nights when she wasn’t performing. The tour’s gross revenue doesn’t include the overwhelming success of the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie, which has already become the most successful concert film ever with a worldwide gross approaching $250 million.
While live performances have always been integral to Swift’s music career, none of her previous blockbuster tours came close to the billion-dollar club—a feat unmatched by any other artist.
Looking ahead, if the next year proves as successful for Swift’s Eras Tour, combined with a few dates falling outside the Pollstar year, the gross revenue could reach an estimated $2.1 billion, setting a record likely to endure for quite some time.
