Going to a favorite singer’s concert has always been exciting for many reasons. These reasons usually include reasons such as enthusiasm for the artist’s work, the promise of an enjoyable night out with friends or loved ones, and the opportunity to get dressed up for the occasion. Usually the focus is not on the economical impact that the concert or the artist behind it has on the communities it touches. It is a rare occurrence when the worlds of entertainment and local economics overlap. Research shows that Taylor Swift has a positive effect on local economies because they bring revenue into host cities, there are increased charitable donations at the time of the shows, and even outside of shows Taylor Swift themed events are making money for local businesses.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, The Eras Tour has amassed Super Bowl level revenue for cities that it stops at (Us Travel Association, 2023). The only difference is, the Super Bowl happens for one weekend and The Eras Tour has a year and a half full of stops on five continents. The impact that it has on each community is so monumental, government leaders have taken to social media to plead their case so that Taylor Swift will schedule the show to stop in their area. While the tour is still ongoing, already “Swifties” have directly spent over $5 billion on travel and tourism, much of this coming from out of town guests traveling to view the concert. While there is direct spending on the show itself, there is spending outside of that on travel, lodging, food, and shopping in the area. Most people who traveled to a concert spent at least one extra day in the area, increasing the tourism revenue even more.
Spending on live music shows turns into major money for communities. According to Time Magazine, “Typically, every $100 spent on live performances generates an estimated $300 in ancillary local spending on things like hotels, food and transportation. But for the Eras Tour, Swifties are taking this to the next level, dropping an estimated $1,300-$1,500 on things like outfits and costumes, merchandise, dining, and travel—boosting local economies by hundreds of millions of dollars in one weekend“ (Espada & Kopstein, 2023). One only needs to look at the merchandise trucks outside the venues when The Eras Tour visits. Patrons start lining up early in the morning to buy merchandise, and many times by the time the show starts the trucks have already sold out of coveted items. This type of frenzied spending just continues inside with food, drink, and other merchandise options as well as Ubers and other transportation options to get to and from the show.
One thing about Taylor Swift is she’s always been generous, but her giving during The Eras Tour reached epic proportions. According to Today, local community food banks refuse to disclose how much the singer has donated; they only say that her donations would be life changing for so many families in the area. Not only do her monetary donations provide much needed relief, she gives what is referred to as the gift of awareness. Having Taylor Swift’s name attached to donations to an organization makes her fans want to donate as well. When attention is brought to the organizations that Ms. Swift donates to, they normally see a surge in regular donations as well because of this.
Taylor Swift is generous to her employees as well, giving large bonuses to her crew members in thanks when the first United States leg of her tour was over (Bohannon, 2023). Her tour has created temporary jobs for many others when she comes through as well, as people are needed to set up and break down the stage, man the merchandise booths, and do other odd jobs around the stadiums. According to Billboard magazine, in December of 2022 Taylor Swift also made a sizable donation to animal rescue to help save more lives (Anftifos & Dailey, 2024). While the singer is projected to amass over $2 Billion in wealth this year, she gives back an enormous amount to the communities who have helped her succeed.
While Taylor Swift is not visiting every city and town in the world, her impact is still felt. Thousands of small businesses across the planet are centered around “Swiftie-centric” themes and profit off of the singer’s name and image daily. From fan-made tee shirts to custom tumblers, stickers, and the well-loved friendship bracelets, Taylor Swift’s likeness and spirit can be found all across popular selling websites such as Esty, Facebook, Ebay, and more. The small business surge is not felt in just tangible items for sale either. Swiftie themed events have popped up all over the country and Taylor Swift fans flock to them as if the singer herself will be there. According to CNBC, this phenomenon is what has created the Swift “microeconomy” of sorts, with fans spending money on anything that has her name associated with it – official or not (Williams, 2024).
While some people think that this Swift economic surge is at its peak, with a new album on the Horizon it does not look like it is slowing down anytime soon. There are already listening events at small businesses that have sold out in advance of The Tortured Poets Department releasing and unofficial merchandise utilizing just a track list and a few images from the album have been selling out worldwide. The singer has built an empire on her relatability and rapport with her fans, and this has encouraged them to spend as freely as they do. According to Girls For Business, there was over $50 Million in tour-related merchandise sales, with a good portion of that going back into the economy (Suthari, 2023)
There is nothing but good when Taylor Swift and economics meet. The singer sells out 80,000+ tickets and resale values of the tickets have skyrocketed. With that many people per night flocking to a city with 2-6 performances per stop, that is an economic boost for any location. Her charitable donations are legendary, and as she makes her way through her Eras Tour stops, she has been helping countless numbers of families with the money donated to local food banks as well as appreciating her own workers with fair wages and enormous bonuses. Her name alone evokes power, enabling small businesses to make profits and put their own money back into the community It is truly awe-inspiring to see the amazing person that Taylor Swift is, and it is truly no surprise that she has helped the economy so much. The future of the economy for many areas is looking up because of The Eras Tour surge, and hopefully this is just the beginning.
