Taylor Swift is one of the most successful pop stars in the world, with a net worth estimated at over $400 million. A huge source of her income comes from touring and performing live concerts around the globe. But just how much does Taylor Swift make from each show she plays?
Taylor Swift’s Concert Tours
Since first hitting the music scene in 2006, Taylor Swift has embarked on 6 major concert tours:
- Taylor Swift: The Debut Tour (2009)
- Fearless Tour (2009-2010)
- Speak Now World Tour (2011-2012)
- The Red Tour (2013-2014)
- The 1989 World Tour (2015)
- Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)
Her tours have gotten bigger and more profitable over the years as her popularity has skyrocketed. While her first tour played at more intimate theater venues, her last few tours have exclusively played at large stadiums and arenas.
Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)
Taylor Swift’s most recent tour in support of her 2017 album Reputation was her biggest and highest-grossing yet. Some key stats:
- 38 shows in the US, 12 shows internationally
- Over 2.8 million tickets sold
- Grossed over $345 million in the US, $277 internationally
- Seen by over 3.2 million fans worldwide
The Reputation tour set a new record for the highest-grossing tour by a female artist in US history. Swift performed mostly in large 50,000+ seat stadiums and had an average ticket price of $119. Here is a breakdown of the numbers:
| Total Gross | $345 million (US) |
|---|---|
| Total Tickets Sold | 2.8 million (US) |
| Average Ticket Price | $119 |
| Average Per Show Gross | $9.1 million |
With 38 shows in the US alone, the Reputation tour grossed an incredible $9.1 million per show on average for the US dates. Factoring in the 12 international shows at an average gross of $23 million each, the whole tour averaged around $8.5 million gross per show.
Revenue Breakdown
So out of that $8.5 million gross per show, how much did Taylor Swift actually take home? After covering production costs, band and crew salaries, and venue expenses, touring profits are generally estimated around 20-30% of total grosses. If we estimate conservatively at 20%, that would mean Swift pocketed around $1.7 million per Reputation show on average.
However, with an A-list star like Swift, profits can sometimes run higher at around 30%. At 30%, Swift may have earned closer to $2.6 million per show from the Reputation tour.
Other Tours
While Reputation was Swift’s biggest and most profitable tour, she also grossed huge numbers on prior tours as her stardom grew.
The 1989 World Tour (2015)
- Grossed over $250 million from 85 shows
- Over 2.3 million tickets sold
- Average gross per show: $3 million
- Estimated profit per show: $600k – $900k
The Red Tour (2013-2014)
- Grossed over $150 million from 86 shows
- Over 1.7 million tickets sold
- Average gross per show: $1.7 million
- Estimated profit per show: $350k – $500k
While still highly profitable, Swift was earning significantly less just a few years earlier while touring smaller venues at the start of her career.
Career Earnings from Touring
Across her entire career, Swift’s touring stats are staggering:
- 6 tours total since 2006
- Over $950 million in total gross revenues
- Over 9.5 million tickets sold worldwide
While each tour has been progressively more lucrative as Swift’s star power has grown, she has been a huge arena draw since her second tour in 2009/2010. Overall, touring has accounted for a massive amount of her total career earnings.
Other Income Sources
Of course, touring isn’t Swift’s only source of income. She has also earned big from:
- Album Sales – Over 50 million albums sold worldwide
- Endorsements – Partnerships with Diet Coke, Keds, Target and more
- Merchandise Sales – From tour merch to online store merch
Still, touring remains her single biggest cash cow. The sheer number of fans willing to pay over $100 per ticket to see Swift live in concert has made her an extremely wealthy pop icon.
Conclusion
So in summary, while each tour differs, Taylor Swift now easily earns close to $2 million or more per show from her massive stadium tours like Reputation. Her career touring earnings to date likely top $200 million, if not more. With no signs of slowing down, Swift will likely remain one of the highest-paid musicians in the world for years to come thanks largely to touring.
