List of highest-grossing live music artists

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The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time. The Rolling Stones Summerfest in Milwaukee - 2015.jpg
The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time.

The highest-grossing live music artists (also known as "highest-grossing touring artists") [lower-alpha 1] are reported by Billboard and Pollstar boxscores. The cumulative figures may be incomplete because not all concert dates are reported by those publications. For simplification, the figures are presented in nominal dollars without being adjusted for inflation, hence they do not reflect the real value of revenue from older concerts.

Contents

The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time, collecting over $2.5 billion according to Billboard Boxscore. The band is followed by U2 and Elton John, who both also passed two-billion mark in concert revenue. The concert industry is very male-dominated, [1] and only four women have grossed more than $1 billion (as of 2024), with Madonna being the first. [2] According to Pollstar, Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing woman with over $1.96 billion.

All-time ranking

Elton John is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of all time. Elton John - Twickenham Stoop - Saturday 3rd June 2017 EltonTwicStoop030617-37 (34287267873) (cropped).jpg
Elton John is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of all time.
Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing female live music artist of all time. Taylor Swift RED Tour 2013 (cropped).jpg
Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing female live music artist of all time.

Pollstar

Artists with concert revenue of over US$1 billion according to Pollstar
RankArtistsNationalityNominal grossTickets soldAs ofRef.
1 U2 Ireland$2.37 billion26.84 million2024 [3] [4]
2 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$2.16 billion22.13 million2022 [3]
3 Elton John United Kingdom$2 billion22 million2023 [5]
4 Taylor Swift United States$1.96 billion13.91 million2023 [3] [6]
5 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band United States$1.91 billion24.31 million2023 [3] [6]
6 Coldplay United Kingdom$1.77 billion19.36 million2024 [7]
7 Madonna United States$1.62 billion12.80 million2024 [3] [8]
8 Beyoncé United States$1.59 billion12.12 million2023 [3] [6]
9 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom$1.44 billion16.93 million2023 [lower-alpha 2]
10 Celine Dion Canada$1.35 billion10.90 million2022 [3]
11 Bon Jovi United States$1.32 billion17.75 million2022 [3]
12 Eagles United States$1.31 billion10.99 million2022 [3]
13 Metallica United States$1.21 billion19.46 million2022 [3]
14 Paul McCartney United Kingdom$1.19 billion10.45 million2022 [3]
15 Billy Joel United States$1.18 billion16.97 million2022 [3]
16 Kenny Chesney United States$1.11 billion16.41 million2022 [3]
17 Dave Matthews Band United States$1.08 billion23.27 million2022 [3]

Billboard

Artists with concert revenue of over US$1 billion according to Billboard
RankArtistsNationalityNominal grossTickets soldAs ofRef.
1 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$2.6 billion28 million2022 [11]
2 U2 Ireland$2.46 billion28.96 million2021 [12] [13]
3 Elton John United Kingdom$1.98 billion20.6 million2023 [14]
4 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band United States$1.489 billion—2017 [lower-alpha 3]
5 Madonna United States$1.45 billion12.13 million2023 [17]
6 Beyoncé United States$1.3 billion11.6 million2023 [18]
7 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom$1.27 billion—2023 [lower-alpha 4]
8 Kenny Chesney United States$1.172 billion17.9 million2023 [21]
9 Celine Dion Canada$1.115 billion8.8 million2019 [lower-alpha 5]
10 Bon Jovi United States$1.03 billion—2016 [23]
11 Coldplay United Kingdom$1.017 billion12 million2022 [24]
12 Eagles United States$1 billion—2022 [24]
13 Paul McCartney United Kingdom$1 billion—2022 [25]

Decade ranking

U2 is the highest-grossing live music act of the 2010s and the second highest of the 2000s. U2 montage.jpg
U2 is the highest-grossing live music act of the 2010s and the second highest of the 2000s.
Madonna is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of the 2000s. Taipei madonna concert-32 (26457138641).jpg
Madonna is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of the 2000s.
Bruce Springsteen is the highest-grossing male solo live music artist of the 2000s. Bruce Springsteen - Roskilde Festival 2012.jpg
Bruce Springsteen is the highest-grossing male solo live music artist of the 2000s.
Ed Sheeran is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of the 2010s. 12 - Ed Sheeran.jpg
Ed Sheeran is the highest-grossing solo live music artist of the 2010s.

2000s

Top 10 highest-grossing live music artists globally of the 2000s ( Billboard ) [26]
RankArtistsNationalityNominal grossTickets sold
1 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$869,471,3258,236,586
2 U2 Ireland$844,157,9259,869,953
3 Madonna United States$801,299,6716,387,124
4 Bruce Springsteen United States$688,136,4768,605,238
5 Elton John United Kingdom$603,804,6705,789,833
6 Celine Dion Canada$536,593,2624,099,963
7 Dave Matthews Band United States$505,447,90111,230,696
8 Kenny Chesney United States$477,931,7609,210,288
9 Bon Jovi United States$419,481,7415,384,747
10 Billy Joel United States$418,421,2664,141,287
Top 10 highest-grossing live music artists in North America of the 2000s ( Pollstar ) [27]
RankArtistsNationalityNominal grossTickets sold
1 Dave Matthews Band United States$529.1 million11.6 million
2 Celine Dion Canada$522.2 million4 million
3 Kenny Chesney United States$455.6 million8.6 million
4 Bruce Springsteen United States$444.3 million5.7 million
5 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$426.9 million3.2 million
6 U2 Ireland$391 million4.4 million
7 Madonna United States$325.3 million2.1 million
8 Eagles United States$313.4 million2.8 million
9 Elton John United Kingdom$286.4 million2.5 million
10 Jimmy Buffett United States$285.8 million4.5 million

2010s

Top 10 highest-grossing live music artists of the 2010s ( Billboard ) [19]
RankArtistsNationalityNominal gross
1 U2 Ireland$1.018 billion
2 Taylor Swift United States$910.2 million
3 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$907.6 million
4 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom$848.3 million
5 Coldplay United KingdomUnrevealed
6 Bruce Springsteen United StatesUnrevealed
7 Beyoncé United StatesUnrevealed
8 Bon Jovi United StatesUnrevealed
9 Paul McCartney United KingdomUnrevealed
10 Roger Waters United KingdomUnrevealed
Top 10 highest-grossing live music artists of the 2010s ( Pollstar ) [28]
RankArtistsNationalityNominal gross
1 U2 Ireland$1,038,104,132
2 The Rolling Stones United Kingdom$929,196,083
3 Ed Sheeran United Kingdom$922,361,663
4 Taylor Swift United States$899,627,048
5 Bon Jovi United States$868,715,392
6 Beyoncé United States$857,405,819
7 Paul McCartney United Kingdom$813,811,559
8 Coldplay United Kingdom$731,805,591
9 Bruce Springsteen United States$729,789,815
10 Roger Waters United Kingdom$702,231,419

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The figures are not limited from touring and may include standalone concerts or concert residencies.
  2. ↑ Ed Sheeran grossed $922,361,663 as of 2019 according to Pollstar. [9] He expanded the number with $251,000,000 in 2022 and $268,017,633 in 2023. [10] [6]
  3. ↑ Bruce Springsteen grossed $1,196,116,507 as of May 2014, according to Billboard. [15] He expanded the number with $255,364,196 in 2016 and $37,972,463 in 2017. [16]
  4. ↑ Ed Sheeran grossed $848.3 million as of 2019 according to Billboard. [19] He expanded the number with $417.67 million in 2022 and 2023. [20]
  5. ↑ Majority of Celine Dion's figure came from her Las Vegas concert residencies. She remains the highest-grossing residency artist of all time, with a total of $681 million as of 2019, according to Billboard. [22]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concert tour</span> Run of an artists concerts at multiple locations

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concert residency</span> Run of an artists concerts at one location

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x Tour (Ed Sheeran) 2014–15 concert tour by Ed Sheeran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">÷ Tour</span> 2017–19 concert tour by Ed Sheeran

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reputation Stadium Tour</span> 2018 concert tour by Taylor Swift

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Man of the Woods Tour</span> 2018–19 concert tour by Justin Timberlake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farewell Yellow Brick Road</span> 2018–23 concert tour by Elton John

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">On the Run II Tour</span> 2018 concert tour by Beyoncé and Jay-Z

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BTS World Tour: Love Yourself, commonly known as the Love Yourself World Tour, was the third worldwide concert tour headlined by South Korean band BTS to promote their Love Yourself album series, including their Love Yourself: Her EP, Love Yourself: Tear studio album, and Love Yourself: Answer compilation album. The tour began on August 25, 2018, in South Korea. A stadium extension to the tour, titled BTS World Tour Love Yourself: Speak Yourself, was announced on February 9, 2019, and began in Pasadena, California on May 4, 2019. The tour concluded on October 29, 2019, comprising 62 concerts in 14 countries. The Love Yourself World Tour ranked at number three on Billboard's 2019 Year End Top 40 Tours chart worldwide, with a worldwide gross of $196.4 million from the last 42 shows of the tour. In total, the tour was attended by over 2 million people, becoming BTS' most successful tour and the highest-grossing concert tour by an act that performs primarily in a non-English language, as reported by Billboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World's Hottest Tour</span> 2022 concert tour by Bad Bunny

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Último Tour del Mundo 2022</span> 2022 concert tour by Bad Bunny

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Carnival (tour)</span> 2023–2024 concert and festival tour by Pink

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References

  1. ↑ Mims, Taylor (November 7, 2019). "Female Executives Discuss Navigating a Male Dominated Industry at Billboard Live Music Summit". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ Terry, Josh (May 27, 2014). "These Five Artists Have Made Over a Billion Dollars Touring". Consequence . Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Top Touring Artist of the Pollstar Era" (PDF). Pollstar . June 10, 2022. pp. 1–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  4. ↑ Lind, J.R. (March 14, 2024). "Auf Wiedersehen, Baby: U2 Wraps Sphere Run". Pollstar . Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ Speer, Debbie (July 10, 2023). "Elton John's Sun Goes Down on UK's Yellow Brick Road With Epic Glasto Finale". Pollstar. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Gensler, Andy (December 8, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sets All-Time Touring Record With $1 Billion Gross". Pollstar . Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ $965.3 million from 11.7 million tickets: $810.9 million from 7.66 million tickets:
  8. ↑ Gensler, Andy (May 5, 2024). "Madonna's Rio Concert Sets All-Time Attendance Record With 1.6 Million Fans". Pollstar . Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ "No. 3 – Ed Sheeran". Pollstar. November 21, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ↑ Gensler, Andy (December 12, 2022). "2022 Year-End Biz Analysis: Record-Setting Year Marked By Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran & Stadiums". Pollstar. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (2022-09-08). "The Rolling Stones Celebrate 'SIXTY' Years With $120 Million Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  12. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (2021-04-13). "Boxscore Flashback: 10 Years Ago, U2 Set The All-Time Boxscore Record With The 360 Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  13. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (March 28, 2024). "U2 Leads February Boxscore Report With Final Sphere Shows". Billboard . Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  14. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (July 13, 2023). "Elton John's Farewell Tour Comes to an End With $939 Million and 6 Million Tickets". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  15. ↑ Waddell, Ray (May 27, 2014). "Rolling Stones No. 1 on List of Top 25 Live Artists Since 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Top 25 Tours of 2016" (PDF). Billboard. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  17. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (January 20, 2023). "How Much Money Could Madonna's Celebration Tour Make?". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (October 13, 2023). "Here's How Beyoncé's $580M Renaissance World Tour Stacks Up in the Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Top Touring Artists". Billboard. 2019-10-31. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  20. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (July 14, 2023). "Taylor, Beyoncé & Beyond: Who Could Challenge Elton John's Boxscore Record?". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  21. ↑ Nicholson, Jessica (August 24, 2023). "Top-Grossing Country Artists of All Time, According to Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Celine Dion Wraps Historic 16-Year Run in Las Vegas With Record-Breaking $681 Million in Ticket Sales". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  23. ↑ Allen, Bob. "Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist | Billboard – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  24. 1 2 Frankenberg, Eric. "Coldplay Hits $1 Billion in Career Touring Grosses – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  25. ↑ Frankenberg, Eric (2022-06-23). "Paul McCartney's Career Boxscore Total Soars Past $1 Billion". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  26. ↑ "Top Touring Artists of the Decade". Billboard. 2009-12-11. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  27. ↑ "Top Tours of the Decade: North America 2000-2009" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Top Touring Artists of the Decade". Pollstar. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
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