The Economic Success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

After a Cruel Summer filled with sparking dresses and thousands of fans in filled stadiums, Taylor Swift has been at the forefront of entertainment with the record-breaking Eras Tour. According to economist Liz Anderson, she caused a minor earthquake with her cheering crowds, became honorary mayor, and has made millions of dollars for local economies. But the million-dollar question still stands: has she pulled us out of a recession?

Every Swift cringes at the memory of the “Great War” on Ticket Master late last year. Since the last time she toured was in 2017 for her album Reputation, demand for the Eras Tour reached an unprecedented demand. Since the release of Reputation, four new albums have been released including Lover, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights. This boost in her discography increased her already large fan base, making it nearly impossible to get tickets sold at face value. According to Recruitinomics, prices for resale tickets reached the 10s of thousands. 

“ I wanted to go because Taylor would be singing songs from all of her eras so it was like reliving my childhood while also getting to hear all her new stuff. I also loved the openers so it was like 3 concerts in 1,” Stella Nigam, 12, said. 

Traveling from city to city, Taylor Swift’s shows have brought in millions of dollars to local economies. Although many people who attended the Eras Tour lived in the cities, a lot of people flew in to watch the Eras tour and spent days in the location spending money on hotels, food, transportation, and more. All of this money was spent before they even saw the concert.  According to the U.S. Travel Association, it is estimated that her tour will directly and indirectly make over 10 billion dollars. 

For example, in Cincinnati, the Eras Tour's economic impact was estimated at 48 million dollars and 20 million dollars didn’t account for Taylor's earnings, reports the U.S Travel Association.

The impact of her tour is record-breaking, and it shows that concerts like hers can give cities the chance to make a lot of money and look good while doing it. The Eras Tour alone will not ease a recession, but there is significant help from the spending that is encouraged for the tour. After all, will the bead industry ever come down from the demand for beads to make friendship bracelets?