Since jumpstarting the Eras Tour in March 2023, Taylor Swift has given $197 million in bonuses to her performers and crew members, Rolling Stone has confirmed.
Crew members, who received the bonus on top of their salaries, include truck drivers, caterers, instrument technicians, the merchandise team, the lighting and sound team, production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, physical therapists, and video team members, People reports.
The generous bonuses were revealed as the Eras Tour came to a close Dec. 8, after three consecutive shows in Vancouver. By the end of her 149th show, Swift sold a total of $2,077,618,725 in tickets, marking a record-breaking high for gross ticket sales for a concert tour. Coldplay previously held the title for highest grossing ticket sales for their Music of the Spheres tour, banking $1 billion and selling nearly 9.3 million tickets.
Ask any fan, and snagging tickets to the Eras Tour meant navigating an overwhelmed, crash-proned ticketing system. Despite grueling attempts to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster, more than 10 million fans attended Swift’s sold-out shows across North America, South America, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Swift’s final show in Vancouver was free of gimmicks, special guests, and news announcements, despite fan speculation. During her surprise song section, Swift performed a “musical autobiography” beginning with “A Place in This World” a teen confessional from her self-titled 2006 album, and closing with “The Manuscript” off her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
In 2023, the Eras Tour made $1 billion in ticket sales. At the time, Swift’s record-breaking tour dethroned Elton John’s year-long Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.