Taylor Swift's Eras tour brings in 'staggering' $1.04bn

Taylor Swift's concert tour was clearly a sensation: It crashed ticketing sites, sold out hotels and generated earthquake-like seismic activity.

It also brought in about $1.04bn (£829m) in gross sales across its first 60 shows, trade publication Pollstar said.

That is a new record, according to Pollstar, which tracks music sales.

The pop star's success came during a bumper year for a concert business that has roared back from Covid lockdowns.

Overall, the top 100 global tours brought in more than $9bn (£7.17bn) this year in gross sales, up 46% from 2022, which had itself seen record-setting spending, Pollstar said.

Singer Beyoncé and rock musician Bruce Springsteen rounded out the top three concerts of the year.

However, Swift, whose tour started in Arizona in March, did not just bring in more money than anyone else.

She also did it faster, Pollstar said, and her mass popularity meant she played exclusively to stadiums - which seat bigger crowds.

• Taylor Swift is Time Magazine's person of the year

• Taylor Swift is UK's most-streamed artist of 2023

By contrast, it took previous record-setter Elton John 328 shows to bring in $939m (£749m) during his five-year farewell tour, which spanned the pandemic.

"While the data is staggering, Swift's massive success this year shouldn't come as a surprise to any sentient being," Pollstar said.

It is the latest record in a year filled with them for Swift, who earned the Person of the Year accolade from Time Magazine.

The re-recording of her decade-old record 1989 was also the best-selling album of the year, while the film of her concert has made some $250m (£199m).

For the Eras tour, Ms Swift sold more than 4.3 million tickets. That averages to roughly $239 (£190.4) per ticket - the fifth highest of the year's top tours, Pollstar said.

That compared to a roughly $130 (£103.60) average price for the top 100 tours overall.

The publication's tracking ended in November, but Ms Swift's concert tour continues across the globe.

Assuming she plays all shows that have been scheduled, Pollstar said her tour could ultimately gross more than $2.16bn (£1.72bn).